On December 31, Sprinkles Cupcakes founder Candace Nelson announced that the popular bakery will be closing its doors forever. A day later, each store shut down.
In 2005, Nelson founded Sprinkles, and in 2012, she sold it to a private equity firm. “Even though I sold the company over a decade ago, I still have such a personal connection to it, and this isn’t how I thought the story would go,” Nelson said in an Instagram post.
Nelson is a real-life example of success through determination. In 2001, she lost her job and decided to redirect her career by joining a pastry school. She and her husband opened a cupcake bakery in 2005 in hopes to reinvent the basic cupcake. She was the first to create a cupcake-only bakery, and it skyrocketed into popularity all over. Their cupcake ATMs shocked the public and created an original, personal experience that’s hard to forget. Sprinkles has sold over 75 million cupcakes nationwide and has 40 locations.
When Nelson announced the company’s closure, she was surprised and heartbroken, but grateful for the memories it brought her. However, the responses she got on the announcement video were a complete pivot. Many viewers were upset that the employees were only given a one-day’s notice, and that Nelson shouldn’t have been shocked that the private equity firm ruined the company. One commenter said, “Can we please talk about how all associates were made aware not even 24 hours ago. We are all now jobless…Happy New Year to the thousands of people who gave this company everything.” Another commented, “I and hundreds of employees are now going into the new year with no health benefits and no job.” Fast Company wrote, “Private equity firms have a reputation for stripping down companies’ parts and leaving them saddled with debt, sometimes leading to bankruptcy.” Many were confused as to why Nelson would be surprised about Sprinkles closing because a private equity firm was in control.
Brynn Patterson, a 9th grader, said, “I’m sad that they’re closing because I’ve gone there since I was a baby, and it’s like my childhood.” Sprinkles opened in Newport Beach in 2013 inside the Corona del Mar Plaza near the Newport Beach Public Library. It’s been a favorite ever since, celebrating birthdays or just being there when locals needed something sweet. The community is sad to see it gone after so many years.
Sprinkles hasn’t made their own announcement, but each store has sadly closed. Many will miss getting their cupcakes, with one commenter calling the company “iconic” and a “core memory”. Nelson wrote in the caption of her video, “I’ll always be proud of what we built”.
