Fans Camp Out for Johnny Cupcakes Shirts

Fans of Johnny Cupcakes have been camping out along Melrose and Hayworth avenues for nearly a week. Tents, blankets and sleeping bags decorated the sidewalk as about 100 fans anxiously waited for their chance to buy a limited edition T-shirt. The line snaked along the street and into the nearby residential neighborhood.

It's all to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the L.A. store, which sells Johnny Cupcakes shirts, pins, sweaters, jewelry and other items. The doors will open at 5 p.m Sunday when fans will get a chance to meet Johnny Earle, the founder of the clothing line that uses cupcakes as its dominant design.

Earle started the company in 1989 out of the trunk of his car. He now has stores in Boston and L.A.

"A lot of people don't get why we do it," said Erica Diaz, who had been camping out since Wednesday. "They're like, 'Are you crazy? It's for a T-shirt.' But it's more than that. It's like beyond the brand. It's a family."

Fans killed time by watching movies, eating and bonding with one another.

"I've been supporting Johnny for a really long time," said Randall Tabula, who had been sleeping along Melrose Avenue since Wednesday. "I really like the way he runs everything and how he actually makes a personal connection with everyone that supports him."

Tabula likes the shirts because of their authenticity and because he won't find just anyone walking around the street wearing one.

To help kill time for the waiting fans, Earle came out to visit and play games with them. "While most stores are closing down on Melrose and in other parts of the U.S., we've managed to reinvent the brand and stay open," he said. "We're strong and growing despite the economy."

Earle says this success is a result of keeping the brand community-based and treating his customers like family.

Eddie Lehecka heard about the brand from a friend in Boston."Because of events like the campouts, everybody comes because they want the limited edition T-shirts, but then they start talking and they hang out and they find out that everyone has a lot of things in common," he said.

For Jake Bogusz, who said he had been camping out since Tuesday, his first exposure to Johnny Cupcakes was when Earle came to speak at his school. "I like the brand because I want to start my own clothing company and his is a really good basis to start with," he said. 

To find out more information about Johnny Cupcakes visit its website.