Auction Ends: May 1, 2014 10:00 PM EDT

Clothing/Footwear

Johnny Cupcakes "Baker's Banquet" T-Shirt, Gift Card & Accessories

Item Number: 577

Estimated Value: Priceless
Sold: 35 USD to kc5c58666

Number of Bids: 1 - Bid History

Item Description

Winning bidder will receive a Johnny Cupcakes Extravaganza, including a $25 gift certificate, a "Baker's Banquet" t-shirt" in white, a classic "crossbones" keychain in red/black, a vanilla scented crossbones air freshener for your car, two refridgerator magnets (crossbones & "think big") and several stickers (crossbones, make cupcakes/not war & Johnny Cupcakes logo). Johnny Cupcakes specializes in limited edition tshirts that will become unavailable once they are sold.

The wiffle ball tshirt is a size L Guys but it can be exchanged for a different size. You will love this tshirt. One of the most sought after Johnny Cupcakes shirts! Clean, cute, and simple. Be sure to keep an eye out for limited edition different color schemes, which will come and go fairly quick!

Why are people so into this Johnny Cupcakes thing?

Customers like and appreciate the story and work ethic behind my brand. I started this as a joke from the trunk of my beat up '89 Toyota Camry. A college drop out with a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle, I never wasted my time going out and partying but instead focused only on brainstorming and sketching up my wacky ideas. I turned down investors and took countless risks like keeping my shirts out of chain stores.

When I was growing up, I'd always notice my mom being stressed/bummed out about her 9-5 job. Ever since, I've been coming up with little ways to work for myself. Lemonade stands to yard sales, magic tricks at kids birthday parties to selling tricks and pranks in high school. I used to be a class clown. I'd buy and collect tons of pranks from this one joke shop. I bought so many that the owner gave me a catalog so that I could purchase the pranks wholesale. I'd buy whoopie cushions, trick candy, and itching powder in bulk to make little 'prank packs'. I'd then sell these prank packs to the kids at my high school. One day I sold itching powder to this kid Dan who put it all down his friend's shirt. Turned out his friend was highly allergic to some ingredient of itching powder. His back swelled up with hives, and he was rushed to the hospital.

After returning back from my suspension, I decided to sell something else. My new hobby then became selling candy.
I'd take trips to Costco, BJ's, and Walmart to buy candy in bulk. After being the candy man for a little while, my high school almost got me in trouble again for selling far more candy than the school store did since the school stores profits funded all sorts of different school functions.

I graduated high school and tried out college. I wasn’t sure it was the right decision as the time. I have borderline A.D.D. so focusing was always an issue for me. Also I can't really participate in the most common college sport (i.e. partying) because I don't drink or do drugs.

Less than a semester later I decided to take a break from school. I then started up a pin business designing pins, buttons, and badges for bands and businesses. I made random designs and sold them at hardcore shows and various shops. I even had a small crew of kids that would buy them from me wholesale and sell them at their schools. I began keeping a nice little database of all my clients. In addition to the pins, I worked once or twice a week at a silk screening shop as well as a record shop called "Newbury Comics". Almost every day when I went into work, I was given a different, completely random nickname for no reason whatsoever. I guess Johnny is an easy name to throw just about any word at the end of it? 'Johnny Appleseed', 'Johnny Coffeecakes', 'Johnny Cupcakes', 'Johnny Pancakes', etc... While working at the silk screening shop making t-shirts for the metal/hardcore band I use to be in, I thought it would be funny to make a couple random shirts that said 'Johnny Cupcakes' on them for the fun of it.

The new tshirts caused quite a commotion. Not only did everyone I work with want a t-shirt but most of the customers wanted one as well! While at work, I'd get heaps of compliments, questions, smiles, and requests for my t-shirt (even from the slightly miserable or quiet regulars!). "What's Johnny Cupcakes?," "Is that a local bakery?," "Is that an adult movie store?," and so on.

Supply and demand! I ordered a couple dozen Johnny Cupcakes shirts and sold out of them the day I took them off the press! One person would tell ten people and ten people would tell one hundred people.

In 2007 everything was growing at a comfy level. The new store on Newbury Street began doing way better than expected. Internet orders were growing. There was increasingly positive feedback from people all over the world. Hundreds of people would line up for my releases, camp-out overnight, and travel from far away places (and still do!). The few negative, clueless people who hate that I don't sell real cupcakes don't know what to think about this kind of enthusiasm. What they don't know is that I often give away actual cupcakes at my releases. These people walk by and say, "What the heck, Johnny Cupcakes doesn't even sell cupcakes!"

Both before and after being voted America's #1 Young Entrepreneur of 2008 by BusinessWeek magazine, I’ve lectured at big universities, small colleges, high schools, and at non-academic seminars all over the world. These lectures focus on how to start and maintain an original business without any startup money or other resources. I have a lot of generally useful advice-- like how to use both the web and retail space effectively, the importance of art, graphic design, creative packaging and other often overlooked details, how to create a lot of word of mouth excitement behind your business, and brand longevity.

Link is www.johnnycupcakes.com