Partner Spotlight: Sweet ThingZ Cupcake Shop
Last updated: October 22, 2021
Cupcakes — the ultimate sweet treats for birthday celebrations, special occasions or simply an after-dinner dessert. This past year, Bluefield has gotten a whole lot sweeter with the addition of Sweet ThingZ to the growing small business scene in Mercer County. From classic vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting to decadent chocolate confections topped with peanut butter cream cheese frosting, this boutique cupcakery can cure anyone’s sweet tooth!
Long before the days of foodie Instagrams and small business Facebook pages, Cyndi Price, owner of Sweet ThingZ, was in her kitchen testing out all of her cupcake creations.
“I used to bake on the side long before any of the social media existed so nobody really knew I could bake,” Price says.
The concept for Sweet ThingZ had been years in the making. Price, who had gotten tired and burned out in the corporate world, began her plan to start a small business in Mercer County. After putting in 10 years at her previous job, Price gave her notice and hasn’t looked back since. Unfortunately, two days after giving her notice the pandemic hit.
“The pandemic was another curve that was thrown into my vision of Sweet ThingZ,” Price says. “My plan was to open around June, but then I had to push everything back.”
From George Washington (a cherry cupcake laced with cherries, topped with a signature cherry buttercream frosting and adorned with a gummy cherry) to The Island (a coconut cupcake cored with coconut cream, topped with signature coconut buttercream frosting and adorned with coconut flakes), every cupcake has a name that is as unique as the flavor. Summer flavors on the forecast include peaches and cream, almond and apricot desserts.
Currently, Sweet ThingZ has a Facebook page that is regularly updated with current specials, operation hours and of course, mouth-watering photos of cupcakes.
The shop’s menu fluctuates monthly depending on the flavors of the season, requests by customers or a new idea from Price. Since the course of opening, Price has developed 250 cupcake flavors. Her process for these tasty creations is more calculated than an experimental day spent in the kitchen.
“It’s all a thought process. Before I even opened, I had a journal of all the flavors that I was going to create,” Price says.
The number one selling cupcake flavor for the last 10 months is Sexual Chocolate — a chocolate chip cupcake with chocolate buttercream, chocolate chips and chocolate drizzle.
The runner-up flavor is the Lemon Lady, named after a loyal guest who comes in every day and purchases lemon cupcakes.
Although out of all the unique flavors, Price still finds herself craving the classics.
“It’s crazy but my favorite flavor is vanilla,” Price says. “A vanilla cupcake with our signature vanilla buttercream frosting.”
In addition to cupcakes, Sweet ThingZ sells cake pops, donuts, ice coffee drinks and offers a light lunch menu. The shop is located on East Cumberland Road in Bluefield and is currently open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Visit Sweet ThingZ’s Facebook page for more information.