‘Let them eat cake’
A tray of Boston cream cupcakes at Gypsy’s Heavenly Delights on West Chestnut Street in Washington.
Siblings Mark Kelley and Linda Lucas help take care of business at Gypsy’s Heavenly Delights on West Chestnut Street in Washington.
They and their prospective partners had little business savvy and a lot of reluctance. But Linda Lucas and Becky Kelley decided to act on a sweet idea.
Open a bake shop.
“Rebecca was the only one who had experience in this,” Lucas said, chuckling. “We went back and forth, then one day said, ‘Let’s do it.'”
So last autumn, these sisters-in-law and their spouses, Mark Kelley and Matt Lucas, launched Gypsy’s Heavenly Delights in downtown Washington. They admit that it hasn’t always been a heavenly endeavor at 1006 W. Chestnut St., and that it hasn’t been as easy as pie – or cupcake or cookie. The learning curve has been sharp.
But over time, they’ve learned to hit the curve out of the park.
Gypsy’s Heavenly Delights will be a year old Nov. 1. A year of making delectable desserts, filling orders and satisfying palates of walk-in customers. That milestone is an encouraging achievement for a new business, many of which don’t survive for 12 months.
“I think we’re going to make it,” Mark said last week, in the small but stylish West Washington shop, where everything is made from scratch. “We’re not going to be rich, but I think we’re going to be here for a while.”
“Let them eat cake” could be Gypsy’s motto. Birthday and wedding cakes and cakes with kid themes are among the shop’s signature items, but cakes for any occasion are available.
“My husband says come up with an idea and we will come up with a cake,” Linda said.
The Lucases are in charge of cakes, with Matt serving as chief designer. As an example of his handiwork, Linda showed off a photo of a Tyrannosaurus rex that looked good enough to eat and realistic enough to eat you.
Cupcakes and cookies also abound, as do chocolate-covered treats. Pies and gluten-free items are made to order only. The crew makes apple dumplings, but not every day – they are time-intensive.
The Gypsy team of five – the Kelleys and Lucases and a niece, Kaitlyn Moore of Canonsburg – is willing to experiment. One of the group’s out-of-the-mainstream delights, maple bacon cupcakes, is a popular selection.
“We’re going to make pepperoni rolls,” Linda said.
“We have to branch out. Not everyone likes sweets,” said Mark, her brother, adding that salted pretzels already are a customer favorite.
Linda assures that pizza cupcakes are on the near horizon.
Though the team is small, it has a synergy. “I don’t think we could do this without each other,” Linda said. “We all work together.”
They operate in about 500 square feet, which isn’t comfortable, but the cheery green walls are comforting. The staff bakes at night, as late as 2 a.m. They donate items that aren’t sold.
The Kelleys and Lucases are so team-oriented they consider the four of them to be equals. Officially, Mark and Becky are the owners and Linda is the manager.
Gypsy’s rents part of a building that previously housed Beer Stop, which is now closed. Another bakery, Dragonfly Desserts, opened in Gypsy’s location in June 2014, but shut down after a few months. Linda and Mark said their group purchased equipment from Dragonfly’s owners, but their business otherwise has no links to Dragonfly.
It does have a link to a family member. “Gypsy” was the nickname of Vinny Kelley’s motorcycle. Vinny, the brother of Mark and Linda, was shot to death on Father’s Day 2013 while trying to thwart the robbery of the Citizens Bank branch in Strabane Square Shopping Center. A suspect has yet to be apprehended.
“We wanted this to have something to do with Vinny,” said Mark, who also works full time at Ferro Corp. in Washington as a production technician.
Gypsy’s Heavenly Delights (724-222-2563) is open to walk-ins five days a week: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Wednesday and open Sunday only for customers picking up orders. Credit cards are accepted.
Like all learning experiences, this one is ongoing. Gypsy’s was burglarized recently, according to Mark, by someone who broke in through the ceiling, took cash and walked through the door. “We don’t keep cash in the register any longer,” he said.
The team also has learned how to smoothly work together, although that probably took minutes. Their easy rapport was evident last week.
“She loves to do this,” Mark said, gesturing to Linda.
“Money doesn’t matter,” she said, displaying an item.
“Well … it does to me,” Mark countered with a wry smile.
“Hey, this is fun,” Kaitlyn, who also works at Starbucks in Canonsburg, said a few moments later.
“It’s not all fun,” Mark chided.
“Hey,” Linda said, rationalizing, “we haven’t killed each other yet.”
Their operation isn’t always a heavenly delight, but overall, it’s been a sweet first year.