Meet Trailblazer Amber Cronin and Andrea Strick

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Cronin and Andrea Strick.

Amber and Andrea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We officially started our food truck trailer in 2015. After spending my career in the corporate world, I decided it was not the place for me and decided to utilize the talents of my family to create a happier existence. My sister, Andrea is a very talented self-taught baker so we thought let’s make something with this! We purchased our 1956 Hansen Lovebug, Petunia, in 2014 with the intention of turning her into a food trailer. After a year of renovations (completed by our father, Richard), we had our first official event at the Horseshoe Holiday Market in Denver. It was 20 degrees outside that day and pretty much everything that could go wrong did but we made it through and customers seemed to think we had an awesome product and very unique branding to compliment it! Flash forward to 2019, we have now done over 250 weddings and special events. Close to 100 food truck events and we have officially opened our Brick and Mortar location in Downtown Loveland, Colorado! We have also built our commercial kitchen (in a separate location from the retail location) and operate a commissary kitchen in which we rent out space and time in the kitchen when we aren’t using it. This business has taken us farther than I even imagined. I have met so many amazing people, customers and other local vendors alike, that have really helped shape our company into what it is today!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We have faced several challenges throughout the four years we have been in business. From personal battles of what am I doing during the early days to trying to find a location for our brick and mortar. I think every business owner has internal struggles but self-doubt has definitely been one of the bigger things that has affected me over the years. Not knowing if we are making the right choices at the right time or moving too quickly into something new. Most recently, we really struggled during the build-out process of our commercial kitchen and retail space. We had to reinvest in our business which meant not paying ourselves during the process and feeling as though the list of things to do/purchase was daunting. The not knowing if your investment will pay off, in the long run, can make you freeze. We pushed through and I’m so glad we did. We opened our retail location in August 2019 and things have only gotten better since.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Cupcake Gypsies – what should we know?
Obviously, we are known for our cupcakes first and foremost! We started with five flavors and we are now up to over 80 unique and fun combinations! We have fun names for all of them too! We also offer several bakery items including cakes, cinnamon rolls, cake pops, bars, scones, pies, and many more. The backbone of our company has always been weddings and we have been a part of over 250 celebrations. We have been so fortunate to have so many fantastic clients who have helped us spread the word about our company! Not only does Andrea make delicious and beautiful desserts but we deliver them with outstanding customer service which is what I am most proud of!

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
We were fortunate enough to grow up with very supportive parents who always encouraged us to be whatever we wanted to be. Both our parents have owned their own businesses while we were growing up and I believe seeing the passion they had to work for themselves really stuck with both of us! Technically, we are third-generation business owners in Loveland. Our Grandpa, Ernie, owned a concrete company back in the day and he actually did most of the original concrete work in downtown Loveland. I guess it’s just in our blood!

Contact Info:

• Address: 415 N. Cleveland Ave Loveland, CO 80537
• Website: www.thecupcakeypsies.com
• Email: info@thecupcakegypsies.com
• Instagram: @thecupcakegypsies
• Facebook: thecupcakegypsies

Image Credit:
Ashley Tiedgen Photography, Sarah Valencia Photography, Tamara Gruner Photography, West Destiny Drive Photography

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