Frostings Cupcake Bakery Opens At Short Pump Station

Wednesday was opening day for Frostings, a new gourmet cupcake bakery in the Short Pump Station shopping center near Trader Joe’s. Owners Jason Ferrell and Matt Fraker opened the doors around 10:00 a.m. Customers steadily streamed in during our visit around 5:00 p.m. despite the heavy rain showers. “We’ve had really steady traffic on our first […]

May 7, 2009; 1:28 PM • by Trevor Dickerson

“We’ve had really steady traffic on our first day,” Ferrell said. “We didn’t really know what to expect, but we’re really pleased with the flow so far.”

“The first day’s definitely been great,” Fraker added as he frosted a fresh batch of cupcakes hot out of the oven. “It’s been busy and steady, and we’re just trying to get into a good routine, we’ve been enjoying interacting with customers, and we’re ready for day two.”

Fraker and Ferrell began baking cupcakes out of their home ovens and taking orders over the phone and web last year. Word quickly spread and they soon began thinking about the possibility of opening a storefront. “There was nothing really like this in Richmond at the time,” Fraker explained.

When asked if they were worried about the weak economy impacting their business, they quickly brushed it off. “[Cupcake bakeries] are a hot concept right now and the business model has withstood the economy,” Fraker said. “It’s a small luxury that makes people happy, and besides, who doesn’t love a cupcake?”

Cupcake offerings will remain the same for the next two weeks as the two get into the flow of running the business, and will then rotate on a daily basis after that. “We got lots of good feedback on [our current] flavors. The coconut cream cheese and margarita cupcakes were popular,” Fraker said. Daily cupcake varieties can be found on Frostings’ website. (Editor’s note: The coconut cream cheese cupcake is phenomenal!)

All the baking is done from scratch, start to finish. A pastry chef arrives at 4:00 a.m. every day to bake up the sweet treats to be served for the coming day.

The two are still getting used to having all the extra elbow room after working within the constraints of a residential kitchen for so long, but are excited to be able to produce larger quantities than their previous kitchen allowed.

Frostings is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The 1,400 square foot facility also includes a party room perfect for any occasion, which Fraker and Ferrell to open in the next month or so.