One of Auburn's oldest bakeries is making way for a new one.
Gigi's Cupcakes is expanding from its current location on Ogletree Road and opening a satellite store in downtown Auburn at the former site of Taylor's Bakery on College Street.
"We always wanted to have a presence downtown," said store owner Jennifer Cooper.
Cooper and her husband Patrick currently own the Auburn location, one in Columbus, Ga., the new satellite location opening spring 2012 and another in Columbus which will open summer 2012.
"My husband and I had a plan of what we wanted to do," Cooper said. "Build the Auburn market, then Montgomery and Columbus. Then we'd come back and do a satellite store in Auburn. But the opportunity presented itself with Taylor's Bakery going out of business. We have a prime location we couldn't pass up. That's why it's all happening right together."
Cooper said choosing a downtown location was a strategic choice she made for her customers.
"We didn't want it to be our main location due to the parking issue downtown," she said. "We get a lot of students at our main location, but it would be a lot more convenient for them downtown, and for the people that come into Auburn that aren't familiar with the surrounding area."
Many students are looking forward to the convenience of the new location.
"When I heard about Gigi's coming to College Street, I knew it was a good idea," said Melisa Hardie, senior in exercise science. "My parents live out by the old location and it's convenient for them, but the new one will be so much better for students."
Cooper said the downtown location will function differently than the primary store.
"The downtown location is a satellite location," she said, "so we will be baking our cupcakes, making our frosting every morning at our main location, and then we will have a van that will be wrapped with Gigi's all over it that will transport to the downtown location."
Cooper also said the van will allow them to do much larger catering events.
She said they are also looking into a cupcake delivery option in the future.
Cooper also said the satellite location will allow for more seating.
"At our main location in Auburn we don't have much seating," she said. "With the downtown location we'll be able to seat 15-20 people easily because we're not going to have an oven and mixer in the back of the store."
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