The Cupcake Stop... Stops

Today is a sad day for businesses established by lawyer-entrepreneurs. First we learned that David J. Stern, the South Texas Law grad who went on to become “Florida’s Foreclosure King,” will be relinquishing his crown and closing his once-thriving practice. And now we hear that Lev Ekster, the New York Law School alum who founded a popular mobile-cupcake business called Cupcake Stop, has decided to call it quits.

Longtime readers of Above the Law will recall Ekster and his business selling cupcakes out of a truck that roved around Manhattan. We first wrote about him in May 2009, when we were charmed by the NYLS grad’s creative response to being unable to obtain a law firm job. Spring 2009 wasn’t the best time to be looking for a Biglaw gig, as you might remember.

A few days after our first post, we got to taste Ekster’s cupcakes (and interview him). The cupcakes were delicious (not as amazing as my cousin’s, but pretty darn good).

In the months that followed, Ekster’s cupcake truck picked up momentum, literally and figuratively. On Twitter, @CupcakeStop acquired almost 16,000 followers.

And then today it all came to a screeching halt. What happened?

Alas, we don’t know. Here’s the farewell message that was posted on Twitter:

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The news of the Cupcake Stop’s apparent demise was picked up by Grub Street and the Village Voice. Both outlets noted that the company’s website is down, the phone isn’t being answered, and the Cupcake Stop’s physical outpost, in the the Limelight Marketplace, is closed.

Commenter “Quinn Remains,” who alerted us to the sad news, had this speculation: “Clearly, BigBaking has no place for non-peer cupcake purveyors.”

Was Lev Ekster mashed up by Magnolia, the competitor he once derided, or crushed by Crumbs, founded by fellow NYLS grad Mia Bauer? Or did Ekster just decide to go off and do something totally different with his life — e.g., walk across the country with his dog, selling cupcakes from a sack?

We’ve reached out to Ekster for comment. If we hear anything, we’ll let you know.

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CupcakeStop Closes Down? [Grub Street / New York Magazine]
The Cupcake Stop Has Closed [Fork in the Road / Village Voice]
CupcakeStop [Twitter]

Earlier: Cupcake Stop Is a Great Detour from the Legal Profession
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