After several weeks of public financial difficulty, Crumbs Cupcakes has announced that by the end of Monday they would permanently close all of their locations.
At least some Crumbs workers received no prior notice about the company's demise, and arrived at work only to find it was their last day.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the kosher cupcake chain currently has 48 stores nationwide. Last month, the company confessed that survival depended on raising additional funds by the end of June. The company went public in 2011 at its financial height, but Crumbs was once one of the country's 500 fastest-growing companies, but the cupcake craze faded, and demand has petered out. Simply put, Crumbs outgrew itself.
Crumbs began as a small enterprise by couple Mia and Jason Bauer. Mia lived in a kibbutz from when she was a year old until she was seven, where she developed her love of baking. The Bauers have also been active in the New York Jewish community, even catering events. Mia also once told a group of students that the open nature of the Israeli community inspired her to have an open, connected relationship with her employees. Both Bauers resigned from their positions in the company in November.
As of 1 p.m., the two Times Square area Crumbs locations were dark and abandoned, their displays empty except for a few lone trays of minicupcakes, abandoned in the closed store.
