Successful "soft opening" for Buttercream Dreams

It was more than proprietor Kathy Thomas could have hoped for, as her soft opening on Friday resulted in a total sellout of cupcakes (almost 400) in about four hours. She spent the rest of the day with staff greeting and apologizing to prospective customers for the empty shelves, and inviting them back for Saturday treats.

Buttercream Dreams is located in the 400 block of West Water Street and will specialize in a variety of cupcakes, most of them topped with Kathy's secret recipe for butter cream frosting. Thomas estimates most of her business will be cupcakes (80-90 percent), but she will also sell candy bars, cake pops, coffee, and some soft drinks.

Thomas and her husband, Kevin, live in Fayette, and over the years have come to love Decorah as a destination for shopping, dining, and finding friends. Kathy teaches at Upper Iowa University and Kevin works in Waterloo, but both will be involved in the business, along with three other employees. Kathy runs a successful cupcake business in Fayette, supplying one coffee shop, as well as providing orders for weddings, graduations and other celebratory events.  Since they enjoy Decorah so much, Kathy and Kevin decided Decorah could be a great opportunity to expand the business.  The baked goods are currently being made daily in Fayette, but Kathy will soon have an operational kitchen at the Water Street location.

Kathy says the opening process has been fun, very exciting and rewarding; and that she has been totally impressed by the warm hospitality they have received in Decorah.

Hours, which officially begin Tuesday, will be from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday thru Saturday.

"It was full when we opened!"