The Sweet Life

The Sweet Life

A Taste of Success Inspires Young Entrepreneur Mackenzie Simon to Expand Her Empire

Text by Heather Bennett

Two cities. Five storefronts. Forty employees. Three hundred varieties of boxed candy. These are just a few of the numbers included in Mackenzie Simon's equation for success.

After graduating from Lake Hamilton High School in 2015, Simon wasted no time in blazing an entrepreneurial trail that has implemented major and positive change to the face of the Spa City's historic downtown business district. Nine days after receiving her diploma, she was poised with pen in hand to purchase her first enterprise, Fat Bottomed Girl's Cupcake Shoppe, from her parents, Charlene and Justin Simon. Four years later, she has successfully expanded from a single store to multiple brands, three of which occupy the only newly constructed building Bathhouse Row has hosted in half a century.

With her guiding hand on a total of four local storefronts (and an additional one in North Arkansas), the 22-year-old business owner continues to grow her unique vision for tourism-friendly stores that appeal to vacationers and locals alike. Her newest effort, Fat Bottomed Girl's Pupcake Shoppe, is a unique spinoff of the cupcake craze that offers bite-sized gluten-free and vegan treats that appeal to both pets and owners; the display shelves also overflow with gifts and accessories that promise to please any two- or four-legged customers. This newest venture, she says, is the product of baking for her own six dogs over the past two years. A painting of her furry brood adorns the windows of the new shop, which opened in October. The “pupcakes”, as she calls her maple-sweetened confections, are now the only product that she concocts in her own kitchen – much to the delight of her own pets.

From incubation to execution, Simon's professional prowess is an inherent family trait; she credits her creativity to her mother (owner of three retail businesses of her own), and her focus to her father, who allowed her to tag along in business meetings as a teenager and currently teaches Dave Ramsey's Financial Freedom course. “Growing up observing my parents made this the most natural path for me,” she explains. Her drive, she adds, is additionally inspired by the individuals on her payroll. “I just keep finding jobs for wonderful people that I've met,” says Simon. Aside from retaining a substantial retail staff, the cupcake business also employs bakers at an off-site “ghost kitchen” that took over cupcake baking duties after the original store outgrew its workspace during her first year in operation.

Since the eighteen hour work days of her first year, she has expanded her sweet-toothed empire to include Pour Some Sugar on Me Sweet Shoppe, Mackenzie's Extraordinary Gift Shoppe, the Pupcake Shoppe, and an additional branch of her original cupcake bakery located on North Block Avenue in Fayetteville. Eventually, industry opened the way to charity, inspiring Simon to organize the National

Park's Glow on the Row Halloween bash. Now in its third year, the trickor-treat event fills the downtown sidewalks with Bathhouse Row merchants who pass out candy (or, in FBG's case, 3000 mini cupcakes!) to wandering witches and superheroes. The turnout, she says, gets bigger and better every year.

Such long-term dedication calls for – what else? – a treat. “I have a cupcake every single day!” Simon confesses. For all her hard work, it's a well-deserved daily indulgence.

Meet Mackenzie Simon

Q: What did you want to be when you grew up? A: I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up...but I love that path I’ve chosen.

Q: What is a typical day like for you? A: I’m lucky that I get to design my own schedule. The shops always come first, and then I get to spend the rest of my day completing tasks.

Q: What is the creation you’re most proud of? A: I’m most proud of my Fat Bottomed Girl’s “Cupcake Ambulance”. It’s the pink-est vehicle I’ve ever seen, and it has so much potential.

Q: Where do you see yourself 10 years from today? A: Still living in Hot Springs. I’d love to have a family by then, and probably 5 more dogs.

Q: What advice would you give to another young entrepreneur? A: Don’t downsize your dreams. Create realistic goals and accomplish them. ∞

The Sweet Life