Red Velvet Eyes September Opening

The cupcake trend has been going strong in big cities for years. Now it is Reston's turn.

Red Velvet Cupcakery, which has two stores in the District of Columbia and one in Tucson, AZ., will be Reston's first dedicated cupcake shop when it opens in mid-September.

Contractors are hard at work on the space located at 11939 Democracy Dr., around the corner from Jackson's Mighty Fine Food & Lucky Lounge and next door to Sweetgreen, another D.C. original that will also open its first Northern Virginia location this fall.

Red Velvet owner Aaron Gordon says Reston was a great fit for his cupcake concept.

"Reston Town Center has become one of the great hubs of Northern Virginia," said Gordon, who also owns two Tangysweet frozen yogurt shops in D.C. "I love that people live, work and entertain in the same area."

Also helping convince Gordon was his mother, Leila Gordon, the executive director of the Reston Community Center. Leila Gordon is a longtime resident of the community who has worked with RCC since 1983.

"She has a lot invested in Reston," said Aaron Gordon. "I've been going to events at RCC for years. She convinced me that Reston would be a cool place for us."

Red Velvet has lots of competition in DC, where several shops, including Baked and Wired and Georgetown Cupcake, are riding the cupcake trend.

There is the demand, however. Red Velvet sells between 1,300  and 1,700 cupcakes a day, says Gordon. They also have a busy catering department for office parties, weddings and other events.

The store features 12 flavors daily, including, of course, Red Velvet, which is the company's top seller. Among the offerings are vegan and gluten-free black velvet, devil's food, carrot cake, and vanilla bean, as well as some signature flavors.

Red Velvet prides itself on using top-quality and natural ingredients. The cupcakes cost about $3 each.

The Reston store, which will feature indoor and outdoor seating, will be designed in a similar concept as Gordon's other cupcake and yogurt stores, which have won awards for their modern style.

Red Velvet will also open a second Northern Virginia location in Clarendon in the fall.

Gordon sees cupcakes as beyond a fad.

"Cupcakes and yogurts might be a trend," he says. "But quality is what is going to make them stick around. Americans love cake. And they love the option of getting 12 different types of cake."