Smallcakes expanding with sister shop selling ice cream & candy

Back in April, Jeff Martin, founder of Smallcakes A Cupcakery, confirmed plans for a new concept that he would test in Overland Park, one that he hoped would be as popular as his cupcake shops and also spread to other states.

Smallcakes Creamery & Novelties had a soft opening in the Deer Creek Marketplace at 6936 W. 135th St. on Aug. 13. Now it plans a grand opening from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday with free cotton candy, ice cream tastings and door prizes.

For the new ice cream shop, Martin took his cupcakes and turned them into rich ice cream flavors — birthday cake, caramel crunch, red velvet, 24-karat carrot cake, creamy chocoholic, butter pecan, salted caramel crunch, orange creamsicle and more.

The new shop offers 15 of the ice cream flavors daily, with bits of the cupcakes in the mix, as well one daily special. Recent ones include maple bacon and Fruity Pebbles.

The shop also sells a variety of single-serve bundt cakes as well as its cake in a jar (bundt cakes sealed in a jar that can be shipped), and it has a candy counter with national best-sellers like Skittles and Snickers and novelty candies like Frooties, Valomilk, Whirly Pop, Big League Chew and Pop Rocks.

“With this concept we can satisfy the whole family, the dad, the mom, they can be taken back to childhood. And the kids come in and their eyes get so big,” Martin said.

The new shop also sells cotton candy, house-made ice cream sandwiches, chocolate-dipped ice cream bars, popsicles and peanut butter pretzels. Customers also can get root beer floats, shakes and sundaes.

Smallcakes Creamery & Novelties also will soon add other items, including flavored popcorn, and frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and then rolled in rainbow sprinkles.

Overland Park-based Smallcakes A Cupcakery was launched in 2008, and there are now more than 90 locations in 17 states and abroad, all offering freshly baked cupcakes daily in a variety of flavors.

Martin said he has signed five of his Smallcakes franchisees in Georgia and North Carolina to the new Smallcakes Creamery & Novelties franchise. Three of the cupcake franchisees are adding the ice cream and candy shop concept to their current Smallcakes operations in early 2015, while two new franchisees will open combo shops.

But Smallcakes Creamery & Novelties franchisees also could open stand-alone stores.

This story was originally published September 22, 2014 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Smallcakes expanding with sister shop selling ice cream & candy."