The abrupt closure of the popular cupcake store Sprinkles has left its employees and the Georgetown community grappling with a sour start to the new year. Despite the sudden shutdown, employees at the Georgetown location sprang into action, selling what remained of the store’s inventory and donating proceeds to those affected by the layoffs. According to DC News Now, General Manager Marissa Valle, who had been with the company for eight years, remarked that they were “We’re just trying to do what we can to not create a lot of waste with what we have left, because it was very sudden. So, you know, we have a lot of food product we’d like to donate, equipment that we can give away.”
Employees across Sprinkles’ nationwide network were caught off guard by the sudden announcement. Leslie Wynter, the Georgetown bakery manager interviewed by WUSA9, shared heart-wrenching sentiments about the closure: “There’s almost 30 people working here who relied on this for their families, for their kids, their benefits, their 401ks are all tied, we’re all tied to Sprinkles.” While Valle and her team worked to ensure leftover supplies were put to good use, the Georgetown community showed up to buy the last of the merchandise and give their beloved bakery a proper send-off.
Alongside the company’s nationwide winding down of operations, general managers like Wynter were tasked with the daunting endeavor of clearing out the premises. With all 20 locations and over 30 “cupcake ATMs” shuttering, the Georgetown location saw former employees and community members coming together, volunteering time, and taking home parts of Sprinkles in its final moments. Wynter told WTOP, “If anyone wants a piece of Sprinkles before we’re gone completely, they can come in and grab whatever is not bolted down, because that was one of the only directives we were given — is to clear everything out.”…