Limelight Marketplace Whoopies
“Hey, Marisa, where have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages!”
Yep. That’s because I am now the proud (and exhausted) proprietor of a 7×3 foot space on the first floor of the newly opened Limelight Marketplace at 47 West 20th Street, New York City.
I signed the lease literally ten days before the grand opening on Friday, May 7. Mark took over construction - creating a to-scale replica in Powerpoint (have I mentioned how much I adore my husband??) so we could figure out what type of shelving would actually fit in the space. Approval came on Tuesday; the buildout happened Wednesday; the VIP gala premiered Thursday, May 6. And we’ve been going full steam ever since.
That first weekend was crazy — lots of people and great buzz. Since then it’s calmed down and now it’s become a daily juggle of bake, stock and sell. We’re getting some return customers (yay!), but have yet to “finish” our space with wall accessories (bummer).
The biggest learning curve has been stocking product. All the whoopie pies at the store must be as fresh as those I sell online. That means I’m in the prediction business. How many whoopie pies can a baker sell in a day? It’s a huge margin, and primarily dependent on factors completely outside of my control. And so I spin the proverbial wheel of whoopies and hopefully learn a thing or two along the way.
We’re offering 6-7 whoopie pie flavors each day, with mix-and-match combination deals for 3, 6, 12 and 24 whoopie pies in our WHC-brand packaging. It’s heartening to know we’re making some new friends, especially since my old ones have been generously understanding about my lack of availability.
I miss my friends and hope to see them soon. Meanwhile, come by the Limelight. Tell me what you think of WHC whoopie pies. I really want to know. And please, for the love of all that is good and right, don’t call them macaroons!
































