, baker Mignon François' popular purveyor of cupcakes in Germantown, is getting ready to open a second location, taking over the former
Becker's Bakeryspace in Donelson.
Becker's closed its operation at 2543 Lebanon Pike on March 1 after 89 years.
François and her family now live in Donelson (for years they lived in back of the Germantown house that serves as the cupcake bakery and store), and she says they were shocked and grieved to see Becker's close. Her young son, like generations of Nashvillians, loved Becker's cookies.
"It's been part of so many years of celebrations," she says, referring to Becker's famous cakes. "I'm going to try my very best to extend that legacy. ... It's a hard legacy to try to follow, but if anybody's up to it, I hope it's us."
François says there won't be many changes at the original Germantown location at 1213 Sixth Ave. N.. It will continue to be a cupcake bakery and store. "We'll run two bakeries," she says.
The new location is double the size of the original and will allow The Cupcake Collection to expand into baking all kinds of cakes.
In addition, the new place will be more of a cafe and hangout, with sandwiches and salads and free Wi-Fi. Her 12-year-old son Xavier, who grew up running the register, is working on a business plan to offer local ice cream. "We're nurturing his business acumen," she says with a laugh.
The hope is to open the second Cupcake Collection at at 2543 Lebanon Pike in the next four to six weeks. In the meantime, The Cupcake Collection mobile cupcake bus will deploy there as early as tomorrow.
