A new cupcake stop has arrived in town off of Main Street. After three months of working, cleaning, and remodeling, Betty Lou’s Sweet Shop, combined with the R&K Cafe is now open for business. The current hours are 7am-6pm Monday through Saturday, and 7am-2pm on Sundays.
Owner Rhonda Lee and her best friend Kim Weston were looking for an opportunity to work together. Therefore Lee sold her car service company and opened the shop off Main Street in the space that was presently occupied by the Downtowner. Selling cupcakes was a business option that the two were eager to take on.
The shop was named in respect to a woman named Betty that both Lee and Weston worked for at a small restaurant in Oklahoma called Buffalo Ranch from seventh grade to college.
“She was wonderful to us. She taught us how to be responsible and how to work hard,” Lee said.
Within the sweet shop they sell muffins, pies, cinnamon rolls, candy, gum, kettle corn, cotton candy, cookies, coffee, and the shops specialty drink “blazerades”, and of course- cupcakes.
The cupcakes are all homemade and range from $1.50-$3.50. The bottom shelf in the shop contains ‘Yesterday Cupcakes’ which are only $1.00. Each day the shop features different flavors of cupcakes including: lemonade, red velvet, strawberry, chocolate fudge, peanut butter, pumpkin. According to Lee there is not a flavor they will not be making.
“I like them all, since I can’t pick a favorite I have to build a bigger door so I can get out of here at night,” Lee said jokingly.
With all of these flavors it can clearly be difficult to choose a favorite, but not for Lee’s daughter junior Miranda Tenove.
“My favorite flavor would have to be chocolate fudge,” she said.
Tenove does not work in the bakery. She does however help out if her mom needs someone to wash dishes or test cupcakes.
Seniors Jordyn Wingfield and Stefani Maness have worked in the bakery since opening day. Wingfield is fond of the sweets and the people that work there. They both recommend the cinnamon rolls because they are homemade from scratch.
“It looked like a fun atmosphere to work in,” Maness said.
Just on the other side of the wall in the bakery is the R&K Cafe which had its soft opening on Nov. 10. Its hours are 7am-2pm seven days a week.
The Cafe is home to a five star chef who used to work at Yiayias restaurant. Lee and the chef put their heads together on what the cafe should sell. The menu is currently fairly short, however it will expand when they feel comfortable. For breakfast the choices are french toast and biscuits and gravy. For lunch there are hamburgers, turkey, roast beef, BLT’s, patty melts, and soups. Block fries, as seen at the fair, are currently in the process of being added to the menu.
“Everything on it is good or it is not on the menu. If you dont like it, you don’t pay,” Lee said.
There is another cupcake business around the corner from the shop: Xtreme KupKakes. Xtreme Kupkakes opened in October and not only bakes and sells cupcakes, but also sells old fashion candy, brownies, pies, cakes, hot cocoa other refreshments.
“Like many others I am pursuing my dream of owning my own family business that I operate with my step-mother, Jeana Woltkamp,” co-owner Darla Marbey said.
Marbey grew up in the community and is an alumna of GEHS.
“We believe in giving back to our Community is our #1 priority. Since we have been open we have sponsored 2 fundraisers that helped families in our district and have donated around $500 worth of baked goods to schools, dance teams, church, Gardner Police Department & Edgerton City Hall,” Marbey said. “More than anything Xtreme Kupkakes’ goal is to be a cornerstone of the community by to providing a quality product by way of tasty treats and to be of service to others.”
Lee’s shop likes having another cupcake place close by. According to the workers they like having a town rival and a variety of options for the community.
“Darla is a great person, I wish her well and I think there is enough room for two [shops] in town. Rather promote her business than take it away,” Lee said.
The grand opening for Betty Lou’s/ R&K Cafe will be in December. According to Lee the shop has received high ratings and good reviews so far. With the opening of her new business, Lee hopes to give the community a fun place to spend their time. She hopes to provide the same opportunity to the high school kids in this generation as the Downtowner provided to past generations. It’s fair to say Lee has topped off her business with some triumph.

Editors Note:
The original version of this story printed in the December issue of The Blazer mistakenly spelled Xtreme Kupkake incorrectly and alluded that Darla Marbey was the sole owner of the business. We regret the error and these mistakes have been corrected in the above version. Additional information and quotes pertaining to Xtreme Kupkakes have also been added in the online version.