Owned by Henry and Kascha Adeleye, Kupcakerie began in 2014 as an online bakery, specializing in cream-filled red velvet cupcakes, and opened its storefront in downtown East Point, Georgia, in 2016. Using Kascha’s baking skills and Henry’s business knowledge, Kupcakerie serves cupcakes, coffee and pastries to the Atlanta area.
Q: Where are you from and what led you to open a business in East Point?
KA: Henry grew up in East Point. I am from Augusta. When visiting Henry’s parents in East Point, we would drive past our location with a For Lease sign in the window. We always had an affinity and curiosity for the space, so we called the realtor!
Q: What was your profession before opening Kupcakerie?
KA: Henry was in IT. I am still a teacher and former administrator in the elementary school setting.
Q: Did you have any mentors or people you admired when starting Kupcakerie?
KA: Henry and I studied Steve Jobs regularly as we were writing our business plan, and Henry’s high school teacher owns several Zaxby’s restaurants around the city. He served as a huge mentor for us.
Q: Can you tell us about how your first day of business went? What does business look like now?
KA: I remember getting a full face of makeup for the grand opening! I was so excited to shake hands, take pictures and meet all of our customers.
Well, I didn’t leave the kitchen. We sold out within an hour, and I was desperately trying to re-bake cupcakes. We had no clue what we were doing, but we knew we were having fun! We are much more organized now and definitely more aware of how much we should bake each day. The first day, we had no employees. Today, we have a team of 13.
Q: What does it mean to you to be an African-American business owner?
KA: We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams! It gives us so much pride that we own a bakery in a predominately African-American community with a team that is predominately Afrfican-American. We are eager to continue to build a legacy that we can leave to our daughter and our other future children.
Q: How do you believe Kupcakerie contributes to your community? How does it feel to contribute to the same community you were raised in?
KA: We host several community events in-store, including Coffee with a Cop and a city debate. We donate cupcakes and time to local schools, and Henry has presented at countless Career Days around the area. We have a co-working space that community members are able to use free of charge, and they often do!
Henry is able to encounter childhood friends on a daily basis in the store, and there’s a huge sense of pride there! To bring your talents back to the place that raised you is a rare and beautiful experience. He is watching East Point grow and change, and he’s a part of it. Henry is a member of the Downtown District Authority, which has huge plans for the future of downtown East Point as well.
Q: What is your favorite thing about being a part of this community?
KA: East Point is a beautiful melting pot of people. Its small town feel in the big city feels like home. The community is beyond supportive of Kupcakerie, and they have kept us going during this pandemic. We’ve watched our community’s kids grow up over the years, and that feels so good. They’ve watched our daughter grow, and they always ask about her and treat us as family. East Point was the perfect place to begin our adventure.
Q: What is a business accomplishment you’re really proud of?
KA: We were voted Best Cupcake in Georgia! Our ‘Main Squeeze’ cupcake won the title, and it is definitely one to try,
Q: How do you hope to grow Kupcakerie in the future?
KA: Cross your fingers! We’re hopeful to open Kupcakerie II within the next year. Once we finish taking over Atlanta, we’re eager to open a store in the town we fell in love – Athens, Georgia – the town of our alma mater, the University of Georgia.
