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Like any bakery worth its salt — or perhaps, its sugar — Whipped Bakeshop’s most arresting asset is its smell.
Immediately upon entering the Fishtown shop, at 636 Belgrade St., you might think you’ve dived directly into a dreamy tub of extra-thick frosting.
Zoë and Brennen Lukas, though, have gotten used to the sensory overload. The couple, who have been married ten years, had to — with business growing in the past few years and the impending wedding season, Whipped is busier than ever.
“We’re getting bigger, and better,” said Brennen Lukas, 36, who runs the day-to-day business around the bakery along with Zoë, 35, and three other staffers.
Whipped began as an online business in 2008 and moved into the storefront a year later.
For many Philadelphians, the shop is no secret. Whipped has been profiled in Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia City Paper, and has been featured on Fox 29, CBS Philly and “The 10! Show.” The shop also took home the title of “Best Cupcake” in Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly” contest in 2010.
But even with a popularity that spans the entire city, Brennen said he and Zoë truly enjoy having a shop in Fishtown.
“It’s a really cool, diverse neighborhood,” he said, adding that while he and Zoë now live in Roxborough, they used to live in Fishtown.
“It’s sort of a coincidence we opened a shop here,” he said. “We’d actually like to move back.”
Whipped began when Zoë started baking goodies and posting the pictures on the photo sharing site Flickr.com. After getting a positive reaction, Zoë and Brennen gathered donations from family and friends to buy and open the Fishtown storefront.
“There’s no other bakery like this in the area,” Brennen Lukas said. “But I’m not sure everybody knows we’re here.”
The store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and carries cupcakes, cookies, and brownies.
Other goodies, like specialty cupcakes, cookies and birthday or wedding cakes, are made to order.
Now the shop is looking to expand by way of a food truck.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to break out of the neighborhood and have more people find out [about Whipped],” Brennen Lukas said.
He said he’s currently searching on Craigslist.com for a vehicle, even considering the idea of a cupcake bus.
Zoë Lukas, who has a degree in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, said, “A lot of the design work that we do I think is pretty artistic. The attention to detail is pretty creative.”
That might come as no surprise to anyone who checks out their work.
Zoë and Brennen said they are sure their hard work and commitment to sweet and spunky baked goods will only bring great things.
“We really work to make something really special,” Zoë Lukas said.
As for their place in Fishtown, they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
“We’re committed to staying where we’re at,” said Brennen Lukas.
Visit Whipped Bakeshop online at whippedbakeshop.com or give them a call at 215–598–5449.
Star Managing Editor Mikala Jamison can be reached at 215–354–3113 or at mjamison@bsmphilly.com.
