Starting in Mill Creek we ventured down 82nd and eventually came upon the two day old Flirt Cupcakes shop on 101 and Whyte.
The tiny shop has a couple sleek tables along with some lime green bar stools by the window, but like most coming out of the shop, we were in for some cupcakes to go. Cupcakes topped with blue, yellow and purple icing seemed inviting, and we were hoping for a good variety of flavours under the bright spring colours.
I'm not sure if we arrived too late (around 3:30PM), but there was a disappointingly small choice between chocolate or vanilla/white cake topped with butter cream in the above mentioned variety of colours.
Half a dozen cupcakes set us back $16.95, which we both found steep. In the end they tasted alright, but were definitely not what we were expecting for ~$3 each.
Although we weren't too impressed with Flirt this time around, today was only their second day of business so hopefully the selection and flavours will improve over the next few months.
Flirt Cupcakes
10158 82 Avenue
780.757.4899
6 comments:
Good to know. I do find cupcake places a bit pricey, but they always look so pretty with their professionally piped icing that they are like little cake sirens, luring me in.
I know, they do look so pretty. Although last July I got some cupcakes from Upper Crust - there was coconut or chocolate. They were about twice the size of the ones from Flirt (two people could split one) and they were really good, although they looked a little more homemade than the ones from the specialty shop. A dozen was $24, and for the size and taste I thought that was definitely reasonable.
Can the cupcake-place market last? Really? I call a disappearance of a few of them around town in the next 2-3 years. Not that I wish ill upon them, I just am too value-driven to see how the economics of this one works. Maybe it's just me....
Kevin, I just want to ask you what you think of ice-cream only shops? They often have exorbitant prices -- $4-5/ice cream -- and they're also open in one of the coldest places in Canada during winter. It's primarily a dessert place. How is it different necessarily from a cupcake-only place?
I don't think it's the economics at work; it's the idea of supply and demand. People still go to Starbucks for their $4 lattes instead of Timmy's $1-2 equivalents. The cupcake place's survival is based on: a) quality of cakes and b) good business sense (either they fulfill a niche, market themselves uniquely, price themselves a bit better, or all of the above).
I'm not sure about the cupcake only shops. I found Flirt far too pricey for what I got (seriously, if you're going to open a specialty shop, then deliver your product well), but generally, if the product is good I'm willing to pay for it.
I'm not sure if they will last or if they are just a fad. But Fuss is opening up soon, also on Whyte (they have just recently changed their name), and they have been operating as a specialty cupcake shop for the past few years over in Glenora, and are apparently doing very well...
I think the thing that'll potentially keep these places going is the fact that people who love cakes but don't enjoy the taste of traditional wedding cakes see cupcakes as an easy alternative. So the occassional weekend of a 150-cupcake purchase or two may keep a steeply-priced cupcake shoppe in business indefinitely.
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