Clifton Woman Starts Cupcake Business

A lifelong love of baking prompted a Clifton woman to start her own cupcakery.

“I’ve been baking cakes for my family for the last 19 years,” said Laurie Gaffney. “Everyone said ‘You should open your own business’ so I did a bit of research and decided to try it out.”

With her children soon leaving for college, the time was right for the stay-at-home mom to pursue her baking full time when she started her business, Clifton Cupcake, last year. Gaffney obtained a permit to work from her home, and thankfully her kitchen is large enough to handling a lot of baking, she said.

The biggest challenge so far, Gaffney said, has been getting the word out.

“Finding business without a storefront is hard,” Gaffney said. “It’s been mostly word of mouth.” In the last year, Gaffney has earned some loyal customers who order cupcakes for every occasion.

An avid reader of baking blogs, Gaffney also keeps up with new decorating techniques by viewing tutorials on YouTube. She has 16 cupcake varieties on her menu including chocolate, pistachio, and salted caramel, but says that she can also make custom flavors to order if the customer asks.

Gaffney would like to open up her own storefront bakery eventually, preferably in the town of Clifton.

“I just like to see the customers happy and please people with food,” Gaffney said.

To contact Clifton Cupcake, call Gaffney at 703-282-6461 or visit the business' facebook page.