Smiling faces
JoZettie’s Cupcakes ‘make people happy’
Summer 2016
By David Zaslawsky
Photography by Robert Fouts
“Cupcakes make people happy.” It’s hard to argue with that quote from Ida McCrary, baker and owner of JoZettie’s Cupcakes, because she is so right.
She told the story of her sister’s friend, who had a son fighting for his life. “Someone gave the family a box of cupcakes,” McCrary said. She said that the father thanked them and knew “that could not help his child, but it made them feel better at that particular time. Stuff like that sticks with me and that’s what makes me keep coming back. It’s those people out there that really need a cupcake.”
Right again. Cupcakes do make people feel better, and McCrary sees it first-hand five days a week at her Decatur Street location. She also has a store on East South Boulevard.
“I always tell people I don’t have a cupcake shop,” McCrary said. “I have a cupcake ministry.” That’s because she chats with her customers and some have had open-heart surgery or have cancer or lost a loved one. “If you stand there (behind the counter) and you talk to people, they’ll tell you what’s going on in their life,” she said. “They come in and get a cupcake and my cupcake makes them better,” she said. “That’s why I say that cupcakes make people happy.”
She has also made a number of family members happy, including nieces and nephews she employs at her stores. Her son and daughter work full time at the East South Boulevard site, which opened in January. Her husband helps bake four days a week on a part-time basis.
Although she opened her second location this year, she had no plans to do that. “My pastor came to me one day and said, ‘The Lord told me to tell you that you need to open up another business.’ ”
When asked if she plans to open a third location for jobs for more family members, McCrary said, “I don’t know, because I always pray and ask the Lord to guide me.”
She actually had no plans to open her store four years ago on Decatur Street. She was “going through some stuff” with her children. “When I came down the street and I was so depressed so I asked the Lord for direction,” McCrary said. “That’s when I saw this building (1404 S. Decatur St.).” She had worked for 15 years as an emergency room technician and 18-plus years operating a home day care business. She worked both jobs at the same time.
Now she is busy with her cupcake business, which works well with her passion for more than 30 years – baking. Her favorite cupcake is pineapple upside down. The most popular cupcakes are red velvet, key lime, sweet potato and red velvet cheese cake. She also sells pies and cakes at the Decatur location, but orders must be 24 hours in advance. She will sometimes sell cookies. All the baking is done at the Decatur store and cupcakes are transported to the East South Boulevard site. The Decatur store brings in 70 percent to 80 percent of all the revenue.
