An Afternoon Cupcake Chat
![](https://preprod.bigthink.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/origin-2.jpg?w=120&h=79&crop=1)
Steve Abrams, the owner of the New York City staple Magnolia Cupcakes just stopped by the office for an interview. While he didn’t bring any treats, he did offer up a VIP card that will let me skip the line at any Magnolia location through 2011. I think I’ll use it at the Bleecker Street location, where it’s most crowded.
We chatted for an hour about the challenges of taking over a business (he bought Magnolia only a few years back) that has already established so much brand equity. Abrams made a lot of changes and found out that the little hole-in-the-wall could increase its profit by 20 percent, just by simple counting measures. Look out for the interview, which should go live next week.