Let's see, food-inspired (check), Boston based (check), insanely creative (check), independently owned (check).
I consider Johnny Cupcakes to be a great inspiration. He's only 26 but has built this amazing food themed business from the ground up and was recently named 2008 Best Entrepreneur 25 and Under by Business Week. Now, I have followed Johnny Cupcakes LONG before he became the household name he is today and first caught wind of him when I'd JUST sent off a portfolio of my furniture designs to Urban Outfitters and could not shake this unexplainable uneasy feeling. I'd just started making furniture and had NO copyrights or trademarks on any of my designs. So, I googled "Urban Outfitters steals designs" and Viola, Mr. Cupcakes. I learned that one of his t-shirt designs was ripped by Urban Outfitters.
I thought I'd been punched in the gut. I hate people who steal. That, along with lying (okay, lying is my number one pet peeve) is THE ultimate deal breaker for me. To see an artist who has worked so hard on his designs only to have it ripped right out from under him from by a HUGE company, made me ill. AND, I just sent my unprotected designs to the VERY same company.
Well, nothing came from Urban Outfitters, they were not interested in my work, but they still had my portfolio and I worried for months that I would one day walk into on of their stores and see a ripoff of one of my designs. It never happened but the whole experience made me grow up real fast.
Note to business owners large and small: Protect Your Designs. Period. No matter how much it costs, do it.
Recently, Johnny Cupakes got wind of a bunch of Syracuse University sorority girls wearing JC fakes, ended up doing a lecture there months later, and decided to pay these girls a surprise visit.
According to Johnny Cupcake's Blog:
"Before taking legal action, I thought I'd pay them a surprise visit.
Nearly everyone in the class laughed, yelled, shouted - "I know where
those girls live!" and "They're having a giant sorority meeting
tonight!" - So I told all of the students that I was going to walk over
to their sorority house after my lecture, and get to the bottom of
this. Out of the entire class, a TON of die-hard Johnny Cupcakes
students anxiously stuck around to march over there with me."
AND HE DID!
"I walked up their stairs and knocked on the door a bunch of times. I
was in a good mood, so I told them I'd like an apology. They thought I
was pulling out a weapon when I reached for my camera bag. I got many
sincere apologies and they offered to cook food for me, as well as
raise money for a charity of my choice. I have a list of things they
gave to me, that they offered to do to remedy the situation. I told
them to never ever wear those t-shirts in public(I might have them send
the shirts my way) - and I explained to them that what they did was
illegal and looked down upon."
You can get the details from the school's newspaper, The Daily Orange.
Amazingly Sweet.
