Copyright Hartford Courant
Cake Gypsy has provided cupcakes in the Farmington Valley for more than a decade, and its customers are lining up for the final few days of sweets at the popular bakery in Canton. Bakery owner Deanna Damen announced on social media this week that she is retiring and her customers have responded. The store, which offers more than 100 flavors of cupcakes, has been packed since the announcement. The bakery, located at 250 Albany Turnpike in Canton, will be closing its doors to walk-in customers on Saturday but will accept pickup orders through Nov. 15. “Cake Gypsy has been my identity for 15 years. I also love what I do and the joy it brings to others,” Damen said. “It’s a happy business. Seeing customers get so excited when they walk in the door and the awesome compliments we get made all the hard work worth it. But having more behind me than ahead of me, it’s time to slow down and start enjoying life. I have so many great recipes I’m thinking of even writing a cookbook so people can still enjoy our desserts at home.” Damen initially opened Cake Gypsy in 2008. The business outgrew the original space in Canton, so Damen opened a store in Avon in 2015. Cake Gypsy also had a location in Granby. As Avon and Granby locations closed, and Damen eventually moved back into Canton. “It wasn’t just about baking. It was about supporting the community that supports us,” Damen said. “I live in Canton, and I love the Farmington Valley, the people, the business, how incredibly supportive people are of each other. We were able to be a part of so many special events and celebrations and have been able to donate and contribute so much sweetness to this wonderful community for almost 15 years.” Damen said she retired for a variety of reasons. “My head baker who was with me for almost 11 years decided to make a career change into the health care industry. She was absolutely amazing, and I would’ve had to replace her with two bakers to keep the volume of cupcakes that needed to be baked daily,” Damen said. “The other factors were the long hours, working more than 80 hours a week, missing social events, staffing shortages, the high cost of ingredients and not being able to spend time with loved ones and when I did, I was always exhausted.” There was a strong outpouring of love on the social media post announcing her retirement. “Thank you for over 13 years of sweet indulgence,” one comment said. “Thank you for your incredible support of the communities you’ve helped all these years. Enjoy this new chapter in your life my sweet, kind, compassionate and generous friend.” “There will never be another cupcake as perfect as those from the Cake Gypsy,” another customer commented. “This is actually the worst news ever,” another comment read with a broken heart emoji. “The response has been very mixed. Overall, my customers are very happy for me as they know how hard I’ve worked and the sacrifices I’ve made. But at the same time, they are very sad. We had many loyal customers who counted on us for all the special occasions and loved our cupcakes. The allergen-free community is especially upset that we are closing,” Damen said. Damen said she declined many offers to sell over the years. “I use very expensive ingredients, and I know someone else would change that,” Damen said. “It’s never been about the money with me. It’s about creating a delicious product people can enjoy at a fair price. When ingredients prices almost tripled, I never raised prices. I don’t want customers to think of us just for special occasions or holidays, I want them to be able to enjoy our cupcakes every day.” Damen said there will be some kind of celebration on Saturday as a thank you to the customers that supported the bakery over the years. “There have been so many sweet memories that I will always treasure,” Damen said. “I am so very grateful I was able to do what I’ve loved for so many years that brought so much happiness to others. But now it’s time for me to hang up my apron knowing I’ve made our community a sweeter place. i will be forever grateful for the loyalty and support over the years and will cherish these memories forever. It’s been such a sweet adventure, but now it’s time for me to move forward to a new chapter.”
