Cupcake Heaven Comes to Marshall

Written by Beth Rasin | Photos by Michael Butcher

As you enter Cupcake Heaven’s new location on Main Street in Marshall, you feel a bit like you’ve been transported into a childhood dream — happy, vivid colors greet you on the wall as you first walk in, distracting your attention only briefly before you spy the array of decadent cupcakes, scones, and other treats in the display case. And once you’ve had the first taste of soft icing, perhaps decorated with sprinkles or candies, you are well underway to a euphoric sugar rush in the small store that owner Kim Newman calls “a little taste of heaven on earth.”

The hardest part may be selecting which of the sweet treats to enjoy, and Newman admits she can’t help you with that.

“Everyone likes something different,” says Newman, whose personal preferred cupcake is mint chocolate chip. “That’s the fun of it; it’s choose your own personal flavor.”

Cakes have long been a passion for Newman, who began decorating them when she was 12, and for years sold cakes she made from her home. In 2008, while living in Gainesville, she found a coffee bar in Haymarket where she could sell her gourmet cupcakes. 

“Cupcakes were all the rage at the time because they were on [the TV show] ‘Sex and the City,’” says Newman.

That coffee bar served her well for three and a half years before she eventually settled on her current location on Jefferson Street in Haymarket, in a quaint little house. Then last year, at the urging of her brother, Mark, Newman began offering franchise opportunities, and she decided opening another location near her home in Marshall would create excitement about the brand. The Marshall store had a soft opening in April and a grand opening on June 3.

“It’s a simple concept,” she explains. “I like to see kids’ faces light up; it’s a simple indulgence to take kids out, hang out with them, and eat cupcakes.”

Cupcake Heaven isn’t just for the kids, though — they offer a full coffee bar and pastry selection, as well as smoothies and flavored lemonades.

For Newman, the work is a family affair. In addition to her brother’s involvement, her oldest son bakes the cupcakes, and her daughter is currently managing the Marshall store. 

“We’ve been doing it for so long, it’s part of who we are,” she says.

In the two years she’s lived in Marshall, Newman has seen the town grow. She believes her cupcake shop is a much-needed activity that local families can do together. 

“It’s nice to have something for the local community,” she says. “And it’s one mile from my house, so I can walk to work.”

In August, a new Cupcake Heaven franchise will also be opening in Lexington, Virginia. Newman is just beginning to train the owner. And if Newman’s brother has his way, there will be another one before long in Las Vegas. 

“I’ve done this for 15 years, and it’s enabled me to buy a house,” says Newman. “I would like to help make other people successful, too.”

Cupcake Heaven, which is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., offers 12 flavors of cupcakes each day. Eight are standard (think red velvet, triple chocolate, cookies n’ cream, or vanilla divine), and four are flavors of the week (like Kentucky bourbon, maple bacon, or Oreo cheesecake) or seasonal. Follow their social media or check their website, cupcakeheavenandcafe.com, to see each day’s selection. 

For Newman, part of the appeal of cupcakes over cakes is the ability to offer variety and please everyone. Your guests may or may not like the flavor you choose for a cake, she says, but with cupcakes — whether at birthday parties, weddings, graduations, or other celebrations — people can make their own selections. 

“They’re easy to eat; you don’t have to cut them — unless you want to cut and share,” she says.

Newman was shocked at the traffic during their first week of business in April, but things have calmed down, even as more people continue to find the shop. 

“We have our regular coffee drinkers in the morning — we have the best chai latte around,” she adds. 

Even as her business grows, Newman says she never felt nervous about making the jump to opening a second store and beyond. She has faith that the community will reward her hard work and benefit from another offering in town.

“I don’t get scared of change or trying new things,” she says. “You have to have faith that things will work out, or make them work out. I started in the recession [with the Haymarket store], and I tried it, and God blessed it, and we kept going. Same thing in COVID; we did delivery and curbside pickup, whatever we had to do. I’m not nervous — I said I’d try it, and it’s working out great. You make it happen.” ML

Published in the August 2023 issue of Middleburg Life.