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Chris Robins worked in inside sales for KBA North America for 29 years.
He moved his family from Virginia to Indianapolis to York to follow the job.
Then he was laid off.
Now, he makes cupcakes.
In about two weeks, Robins will open Sweet Escapes, a cupcake bar, in the Market & Penn Farmers Market on West Market Street in York.
Cupcake bars are traditionally associated with big cities like New York and Chicago. They are places that attract urbanites with a little bit of disposable income.
They are a fairly new concept to York.
York has bakeries, but there aren't many places where customers can order a custom-made jumbo cupcake.
Sweet Escapes will be like the Coldstone Creamery of the cupcake world.
At the bar, customers will select a cake base, a mousse filling and a frosting for the top.
For someone with a hankering for chocolate, the Chocolate Bliss might be appealing.
A chocolate base is filled with a rich chocolate mousse and topped with a meringue frosting that's dipped in semi-sweet chocolate.
"That's pretty decadent there," Robins said.
He's also developed a tiramisu specialty with a pound cake base, mascarpone cheesecake filling infused with espresso and vanilla frosting.
The whole treat will be prepared in about five minutes while customers wait.
"It's not your typical cupcake," Robins said. "You're getting a cupcake that has a nice filling. It's big enough to share, but you may not want to."
Robins started baking as a young child when he used to nag his mom to bake cakes with him. Eventually she taught him so he could do it himself.
When he lost his job at KBA, Robins' wife, Christie, told him it was the perfect time to do something he enjoyed.
"I also told him, 'You pretty much supported the family for the first 20 years. How about I take care of you for the next 20?'" said Christie, who works at the Lincoln Intermediate Unit.
They landed on the cupcake bar idea after seeing one profiled on
"When he's baking, he puts jazz on the radio, and he's humming," Christie said of her husband. "He's an artistic person. At some point maybe he'll get sick of baking and baking and baking, but I think he's going to enjoy this for a while."
To get started, Robins took advantage of the entrepreneurship programs offered through Harrisburg Area Community College's York campus.
He met with Lisa Steffens, a business counselor for HACC's Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, who helped him develop his mission statement and analyze his target market -- 25- to 55-year-olds that have a little bit of expendable income.
"It's been really rewarding to see it coming to fruition," Steffens said. "We didn't really start working until December, so that's about six months of solid work."
Robins eventually would like to expand the bar into a bakery with more offerings. While his specialty right now is the jumbo cupcake, he plans to serve teacakes and is looking into wholesale.
Robins' home in the farmers market suits him, he said.
"We need to try to revitalize the city and try to get more folks to come into the city and to frequent things," he said. "The market was an ideal place for me."
And even though people are cutting back on discretionary spending because of the cost of gas and food, Robins thinks his stand will be prosperous.
"The economy is not exactly where we want it," Robins said. "But I think people will still want to splurge a little bit here and there. They don't deprive themselves. Something like this is a sweet escape for just a few minutes."
jmilcetich@ydr.com; 771-2029
WHAT IS IT?
A cupcake bar is a place where shoppers order custom-made desserts. At Robins' stand, customers can mix and match cakes, fillings and frostings to create unique treats.
IF YOU GO
What: Sweet Escapes
Where: Market & Penn Farmers Market, 380 W. Market St., York
Hours: Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Planned opening within the next two weeks.
Cost: Cupcakes will range anywhere from 25 cents to $3, depending on the size.
