BOZEMAN, Mont. — For nearly 15 years, Cupcake Mountain Cupcakery has been part of birthdays, weddings, baby showers and other celebrations across the Bozeman community. Now, the owners are preparing to close the bakery, but hope its story will continue with someone new.
Christine and Terry Ketterer opened Cupcake Mountain in 2012. What started as a small cupcake shop with 11 flavors has grown into a familiar stop for customers throughout southwest Montana and beyond.
Watch our full story below:
Looking back, the couple remembers being surprised by just how busy things got during their first few days in business.
"We opened five days before Valentine's Day, which we figured it would be busy. It was crazy. It looked like a crowded bar in here to get cupcakes," Terry said.
Today, the Ketterers say Valentine's Day remains their busiest day of the year. The shop now sells more than 1,000 cupcakes during the holiday alone.
The menu has also grown from its original 11 flavors to 15, with 12 regular options and three rotating flavors each month.
While the cupcakes have helped build the business, the couple says the relationships they've developed with customers are what they will remember most.
"It's kind of cool because we've seen kids that came in this big that are now getting married and having their kids," Terry said.
The business has also grown alongside the Ketterers' own family.
The couple remembers Terry delivering cupcakes for a wedding on the day their first daughter was born. Christine had to step away to have the baby, but Terry still made sure the wedding order was delivered.
After years of balancing their business and family life, the Ketterers say they're ready for a change, making the decision to step away from the business. Running the bakery has meant long hours and responsibilities that often made it difficult to be present for family activities.
"We just wanted to slow down a little bit and spend more time with them," Christine said.
The decision comes with mixed emotions, especially knowing how many customers have made the shop part of their own family traditions.
The Ketterers say they hope the business can continue under new ownership rather than disappear from the community.
"We really hope somebody takes it over because we want to see it live on too. People love this cupcake shop," Terry said.
Cupcake Mountain announced it will close on Dec. 19, although the owners hope to find a buyer who can take over before then and keep the shop operating.
For someone interested in taking over, the Ketterers say the sale includes the bakery's equipment, recipes and everything else inside the shop. The location itself is leased, so a buyer would need to continue that arrangement.
They say a new owner would have the opportunity to build on an established business and potentially expand it further.
"We've kind of slowed the gas pedal on that because there's only two of us," Terry said, adding that someone taking over should be prepared for a busy business.
After nearly 15 years of baking for the community, Christine and Terry say they're leaving with full hearts and gratitude for the customers who made Cupcake Mountain part of their lives.
