WNY Cupcake Challenge 2015

Though I am SO proud to be a Buffalonian in the time of its cultural revival, I sometimes find it hard to take advantage of all the new events and locations that have recently won the hearts of residents and tourists alike. It's tough to get out and take it all in when you're Mom-ing three little dudes in Kindergarten and under, ya know?

Recently, though, I was able to escape with my mom & best friend for a couple hours to attend a REALLY fun event! It was close to home, conveniently timed, affordable - and SO YUMMY!

One of our most popular radio stations, Kiss 98.5, began hosting the Cupcake Challenge last year. Bakeries from all over Western New York set up tables vendor-style in a local event venue, and attendees get to sample a cupcake from each one before voting on categories like best overall, best looking, and most creative. All of the participating bakeries are local small businesses, and this event gives them a really awesome insight into what our community likes. I love the idea that we get to enjoy something that helps local businesses at the same time!

All of my favorite bakeries were there - Muscoreil's, Dessert Deli, Ohlson's...and one I've heard a lot about and have wanted to try - Firefly. Plus 12 more I didn't even know existed! I was really excited to....well, ya know, eat cupcakes...but also discover these awesome local places and see what they're all about.


The three of us staked out a table and, okay, kind of aggressively went about collecting our cupcakes. The competition for a spot in line was pretty fierce - the place was packed! When we had all 17 samples, we sat down to take some pictures and get down to some serious judging - we came to play!

How pretty is that little cupcake party??

My favorite taste-wise was the Peanut Butter & Jelly cupcake from Sassi Cakes (it was seriously accurate, and the peanut butter was to die for!), but there was also an incredible tiramisu frosting, and an crazy delish dark chocolate cake in the crowd, too.

My winners for the other categories:


The White Wedding cupcake from Ohlson's won my vote for best looking - photos did not do it justice. It's very simple, but the shades of white were gorgeous in person, and the edible glitter on it - I was craft nerding all over the place about it. So, there's a tip - if you ever need my vote for something, pour glitter on it. My most creative winner was Doughnuts & Coffee from Muscoreil's. It was basically a tiny doughnut - both in recipe and design - and the middle was filled with coffee cream. It reminded me of their chocolate-chocolate chip mouse filling we had in our wedding cake (that's probably my favorite cake component on this entire planet) with coffee added to it. So, uh, it was insanity. But it was also ridiculously adorable, so bonus points.

There was definitely a bit of sugar overload going on, so I basically just took a bite of each one and packed the rest up to bring home to the kids. My aspiring foodie kid was very appreciative of being able to do his own taste test! I hope to take him with me next year. OH yeah - we will be returning!

I love finding little fun gems like this to do close to home - I often forget how much there is to take advantage of in our area. We are so lucky! And, really, it just makes my heart happy to be from a place with such creativity and art running through it. I am definitely in the right place!

I hope to share more gems from our vast and creative community with you this summer!


Jenn is a mom of 3 boys living near Buffalo, NY, and blogs about her life and hobbies on her blog, Rych In Love.

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The Friday Five Hop and 5 Reasons To Shop Small Biz for the Holidays

Welcome to the Friday Five hop!  We invite you to link up your Friday Five post with us below, but first, be sure to check out this week's Friday Five post by our State Rep Jenn!

I'm sure by now, holiday shopping is in full swing for most of you. Personally, I went a little nuts on the Black Friday deals, but I still have so many people to buy for! Is it just me, or does the list grow every year? It's crazy.

As we head into the weekend and we're all thinking about the gifts we still need to cross off our list, I wanted to encourage you to think about shopping Small Businesses when making your purchases. I'll be honest - it's still about 50/50 for me (I can't help it, Target I LOVE YOU!), but I've made a special effort to find meaningful gifts from Etsy, craft and vendor fairs, and local shops over the past few years.

Here's why you should give it a shot, too:

1. It Makes a Difference.
When you shop from a small business, you're supporting the owner directly. There may be some employees depending on the size of your chosen shop, but for the most part, you are supporting the very person that created the item you're purchasing (which is especially true of Etsy, Craft Vendors, and other online shops.) And chances are, there's not a whole lot of hidden mark up for the sake of waving sales in your face the way department stores do. You are paying for the materials used, the labor it took them to create it, and the shipping they were charged to send it to you. And that's probably it! That money will likely go to someone who really needs it, or that has a big, brave dream. I don't know about you, but those are the people I want to support!

2. This is Their Busy Season.
I have my own teeny-tiny Etsy shop, and holiday shopping accounts for 90% of my yearly sales. I have maybe 3-4 orders from January - September. And then they fly in for about 2.5 glorious months. Those sales end up covering the costs of materials, shop fees, shipping necessities, and everything else it costs me to run my shop all year. Any penny extra goes into Christmas gifts for my family. Your holiday shopping helps my family in a direct way, and I'm willing to bet that is the case for most shop owners out there!

3. Handmade is Art.
When you shop from a handmade business, you're purchasing art. Maybe you don't consider a crocheted scarf or a handcrafted card to be art (it's not something obvious like a painting, or a framed photo, after all). But guess what - it is. We are all capable of creating in different ways, and everything we create is our own personal art. My husband's art is brewing his own beer. My son's art is rainbow colored people with rectangle torsos. My mother-in-law's art is knitting sweaters for each of her Grandchildren, and my Dad's is cooking unique, gourmet food for his loved ones. Our creations are our personal art, and that makes anything we make the art of ourselves. Isn't that a beautiful thing to gift?

4. You'll Find Unique Ideas For the Person Who Has Everything.
I'm sure you have 1-2 people on your list every year (maybe more!) that already have everything or has the funds to go out and purchase something they want, whenever they want to. Those people are usually Grandparents, and they are SO HARD to shop for! My husband and I are always scratching our heads over his parents, and 9 times out of 10 we solve our problem by searching Etsy for something. And you know what? They LOVE it! They appreciate the special things you can't just run in and pick up at Target because they are few-of-a-kind and hold a special value that something mass-produced can't contain!

5. Small Biz Gifts Stand Out.
One sobering thought I have every year is how my kids end up losing or forgetting about some of the toys they HAD TO HAVE at Christmas by the time the next one rolls around. How many other items can you think of that the same sort of thing happens to? Almost everything I've purchased as a gift from Etsy is still a prominent feature in the homes of the recipient. Their uniqueness, and sometimes personalization depending on the item, makes them so important and special to whoever received them. I love that about shopping handmade! Maybe it's even just that your gift is new and different and exciting - but regardless, small biz gifts leave an impact!


If you don't know where to start, I'd love to share some of my favorite shops with you! Feel free to send me an email (at rychinlove(at)gmail.com) letting me know what sort of items you're looking for or who you need to find a gift for, and I will do my very best!

One good place to start? I made a gift giving guide this week that's peppered with some of my favorite small businesses (though Target & Amazon make an appearance, too), and maybe you can get some ideas from there.

Happy Shopping!

Jenn is a mom of 3 boys from Buffalo, NY. Find her blogging at Rych In Love where she writes about her family, crafts, goal setting, home decor, recipes, holidays, books, and MUCH more! Her shop, Love Forward, can be found on Etsy.

Thanks Jenn!  And now it's your turn!  Link up your Friday Five post below, and be sure to visit a few others in the hop and leave them a comment!

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Five Reasons to Support Small Business Saturday!

I have always been a fan of Small Business Saturday. Since it has had a rise in the past few years and Black Friday is getting a worse and worse reputation as it takes over Thanksgiving as well, I wanted to talk about how different these two "holidays" really are. So while the craze of getting all your shopping done and getting great deals is what brings these two shopping days into the same weekend, here are five reasons why Small Business Saturday is the "holiday" you should be supporting more!

via

1. Supports your local economy.
By spending your money in a small business, that money is more likely to stay and circulate in your own community. Buy from one local business and your helping that person buy from another local business and, probably more importantly, they are able to hire and give jobs to other locals. This is a win-win-win.

2. Family-owned businesses help families grow.
My dad owns his own business and I know that because of his hard work, my brother and I were able to take dance and karate lessons, join sports teams, learn how to play instruments. So just like #1, because people paid my dad, he was able to put that money back into the community through my dance studio and our music teachers, and that allowed my brother and I to have a great childhood. So when you buy local goods, you're not just getting a product or service in return, you're also allowing people to full fill their dreams and giving their family a life.

3. Shopping local saves you money.
This one might take some convincing, but honestly, after you factor in your time and gas money, how much did you really save by driving out to the mall or large chain store? While some products may be more expensive than you might think they should be, consider this, the person handing you the item was more than likely the one who made it. Large companies are able to make things "cheap" because they outsource the creation of their goods and we all know that's not always a great situation for the workers. However by buying local, the money you give for a product or service is going fairly and directly to the source.

4. Shopping local keeps more things local.
Salons, diners, restaurants, daycare, banks, theaters; the list goes on. These kind of industries only stick around if there are local shops to be around and support them in return. Without a way for a local economy to flourish, there is no reason for these other places to stick around.

5. Local shop owners appreciate you more than any big business ever will.
This is obvious, right? If you're active in your community, you more than likely know the owners of these shops anyway. They're your friends, go to you church, or your kids are in the same class. They will always consider you as a person and a valued customer, how many large companies will ever really do that? Local businesses live and die by word of mouth as their main source of advertisement. That usually means a higher level of customer service, more knowledgeable staff, and a higher level of appreciation for their customers because they know that they better they treat you, the more likely you are to come back. Something that not all large companies have been able to emulate.

So for the sake of your sanity, wallet, and community, get out there on Saturday and support the local businesses in your area! Where will you be shopping this Saturday?

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