CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A popular Charlotte cupcake shop that's been open more than 17 years is closing because of the rising cost of supplies and increasing rent prices.
The owner of SAS Cupcakes in south Charlotte's Blakeney neighborhood said those operating costs are so much more, it's not viable to stay open.
“That was the hardest decision I’ve ever made," owner Kaitlyn Alvas admitted. "I can’t afford to keep going with the way things are going. Our rent is high, and it’s only going up, and the cost of goods are getting really high.”
All the essentials to making delicious cupcakes have increased.
“A bag of powdered sugar has doubled in price within the past four years," Alvas explained. "Butter has gone crazy, and, at the end of the day, I can only charge so much for a cupcake."
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Alvas started at the cupcake shop 15 years ago and worked her way up to manager and then bought the bakery a decade ago.
“My favorite part has been the events and seeing the kids and the joy on their faces," Alvas shared. "I’ve had kids that I did their birthday parties when they were little, and they came and started working for me when they were 16.”
Teddy Hodges and his dad Daniel are regulars at SAS Cupcakes.
“We come here a few times a week for a long time," Daniel Hodges said. “It’s terrible. We don’t want them to close. We’re not gonna replace this place anytime soon.”
The shop will be open until June 15 with special in-store celebrations until then.
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