Meet West Loop's Owner Operator - Chelsey Smith
Hey, Chelsey here. I'm a first time Owner Operator and I've loved the Molly's Brand ever since I came across it in 2009.
It was on my second trip to Chicago that I first had Molly's Cupcakes. I had flown in from Seattle to celebrate a friend's Med School Graduation from Northwestern. His now-husband, always the thoughtful guy, had ordered cupcakes for the party. I rode along to pick them up and found myself at this unique little bakery in Lincoln Park. I remember loving the vibe of the shop and of course the cupcakes were stellar.
9 years later I had the opportunity to join the Molly's franchise and I took the leap - leaving my job at Salesforce and a career in digital project management to become a 'purveyor of happiness' (because that's what I do - cupcakes & treats are pure, sweet joy) and small business owner.
What a first year it has been! We opened the doors of our West Loop shop in July of 2019. We are pretty much a 24/7 operation and do everything on site - from preparing the batter to baking to decorating and of course serving Guests.
...and then COVID-19 and Shelter in Place happened. I made the very difficult decision to close for the safety of my team and community. My team of 20 was furloughed for over 2 months. With no easing of our rent and positive trends in the key metrics related to control of the spread of the virus, I opened our location back up on May 23.
It is so great to be open and serving sweets, but
Some fun facts about us in the West Loop: