The lights are off in a shop with cupcake-freckled walls. The red countertops are bare, and the doors are locked.
Sarkara Sweets, whose gluten-free and vegan cupcakes were sold on UF’s P.O.D. Market shelves, officially closed its doors in downtown Gainesville.
Next door, Sarkara owners and 27-year-old twins Stephanie and Susan Browning packed and prepared to move out of their boutique, Ingenue Avenue, which also closed.
“We are not closing because we wanted more money but because there wasn’t enough traffic,” Stephanie said.
This past summer was a hard one, she said. They got used to bad weather during their busiest hours, which was after 7 p.m.
“Rain wrecked our night foot traffic,” Stephanie said.
Angela Sexton, a 19-year-old UF pre-occupational therapy sophomore, said she liked that Sarkara Sweets accommodated different diets.
“I am kind of surprised because I am so used to seeing their cupcakes in the P.O.D.,” Sexton said. Her favorite was the vanilla cupcake.
Aramark, UF’s food service provider, approached Sarkara Sweets with the opportunity to sell the cupcakes in the P.O.D. Market. After six months of planning, the Brownings began delivering cupcakes to the markets all around campus.
Fall had always promised an increase in sales, but this semester proved to be different. Where the sisters once made about $4,000 during Sorority Recruitment Week, this year, they made less than $200.
After five years of doing the same thing every day, Stephanie said the dates have become a blur for her.
The idea to open a cupcake shop first sparked in their minds when they were 20. At the time, there was no cupcake shop in the city, Stephanie said. They saw the opportunity.
One year later, at 21, the sisters opened the store, with the sanskrit-inspired name Sarkara Sweets.
Stephanie said she does not remember much of opening day. She does remember it as hectic because they opened earlier than expected.
However, the time spent at 201 SE Second Ave. was not a waste.
“I’ve learned a lot more about business and how to approach it in a more cost-effective manner,” Stephanie said.
Stephanie obtained a degree in classics, and Susan received a degree in anthropology at UF in 2009.
Stephanie didn’t have to think twice when asked about the best-selling cupcake.
“Red velvet and cream cheese frosting. Every day for five years.”
Sarkara Sweets, 201 SE Second Ave., now offers wine choices on its menu including local fruit wines such as Blackberry Raspberry Royale and Peach Panache.
