After two and a half years serving students and Berea residents, The Three Girls Cupcake Shoppe on Front Street has closed its doors for the final time. However, the space will not remain vacant for long, as a new business called Bridge Street Local is set to take over the location on May 1.
The gourmet bakery opened its Berea storefront in 2020 before it announced it was permanently shutting down at the end of 2023.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” said Ellen Fox, a BW nursing sophomore who frequented the establishment. “If they could get a contract with the university to use meal swipes and flex, I believe it would be much more successful.”
Many students echoed Fox’s sentiments, lamenting the loss of a dessert option so close to campus.
“I’m pretty disappointed. Cupcakes are really delicious to eat,” said senior psychology major Athena Pantoja. “It’s kind of sad to see a shop like that go away.”
The closure caught the attention of Susan Scheutzow, a Berea resident who works as an adjunct faculty member in BW’s School of Business and in-house lawyer at Southwest General Hospital. Hearing the news, she inquired about the availability of the space and decided to pursue opening her own business concept.
“I really hadn’t been looking at doing this at this time,” Scheutzow said. “I came in to buy some cupcakes, and they told me they were closing.”
Scheutzow said she plans to call her venture Bridge Street Local, featuring various takeaway food items beyond just cupcakes.
“We’ll have some to-go sandwiches, salads, and cheese plates,” Scheutzow said.
The left side will maintain a bakery setup, while the right will transform into a consignment art gallery spotlighting local artists.
“The right side of the shop…is going to be a combination of gift shop art and looking for artists on consignment and locally made products,” Scheutzow said.
Scheutzow said she hopes to encourage submissions from amateur student artists.
“I will be giving a little bit better deal to students for their art,” Scheutzow said, though the exact commission split is still to be determined.
As for potentially expanding the location’s popularity among BW students, both Fox and Pantoja said they believe a BW meal plan integration would provide.
“I feel like if more establishments could make a deal with the school, they would survive a lot easier,” Fox said.
Jenna Sirianni, a first-year physician assistant program student, also said that the new location could see the success of other local businesses that serve students through their meal plans.
“It does make me sad when small businesses like [Three Girls Cupcake Shoppe] close down. I think that’s why Boss Chicken and Beer and Igloo and all those restaurants do so well; they give student discounts, and you can use your swipes,” Sirianni said.
Scheutzow said she has already begun building an online presence by hiring a marketing consultant.
For further questions about displaying art in the business, contact Susan Scheutzow at [email protected].
