What we've been waiting for!

Liz's Cupcakes is OPEN for business!


It's been a long and arduous journey. Like a roller coaster with a lot of ups and downs.




To be honest I really wondered several times whether we would be able to get this thing off the ground.

So, without further delay... here is a little tour:


As you can see, we don't have our seating area yet. We're still waiting for the permit for that (and some cash, too). There are two different permits: for shops which are for take-away only and shops for seated customers. Our property only had the first permit. The second permit is taking its time in coming because, as is the custom here, lots of paperwork needs to be provided and then considered. Hopefully it won't be much longer until you can sit in a cosy environment and enjoy a delicious coffee and cupcake. Until then, you can get your coffee and cakes to enjoy in the comfort of your home.



We have to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped us. Especially our parents, who helped in many many ways, both with physical work and financial support. They made a lot of sacrifices for us and we are extremely grateful. Our siblings have also helped in ways too many to mention. We were also overwhelmed with kindness and offers of help from all of our friends here and, last but not least, thanks to all of you who read this blog and who follow us on twitter and facebook, for the unfailing moral support. You've been cheering us from the sidelines by comments and by private email and messages. Your words really helped us to keep going!

When we moved here in August of 2009, we never imagined that it would take us so long to get the café going. We had a lot of expectations that didn't turn out the way we thought. We had a fair amount of disappointments and a lot of other stuff that I didn't really feel like writing about here! Maybe when I settle down into a routine with the café I'll finally be able to put it all into words. I readily admit that we had NO IDEA how long this whole thing would take and we had totally unrealistic ideas of the time frame. Having said that, most of the delays were due to things that were out of our control. We probably shouldn't have counted on some things. It has been one enormous learning curve.

So, here we are. Does the fun begin now? We'll see. We're planning on keeping the blog going, but from now on it will be about running the café, not planning it! One thing is for sure: I couldn't be happier that this phase of preparing the shop is over and now we can focus on what we wanted all this time, having a cosy café in a beautiful town and offering deliciousness to all of our customers on a daily basis.

We're sure you won't be disappointed!


Liz Cupcakes

We're pleased to announce...

While you were all away on vacation we have been busy busy.

I was beginning to think this day would never come. We have finally found and signed for our retail location!

After the first disappointment we had, with the store that the owner gave to someone else, we wasted another five weeks negotiating with the owners of another store, only to realise that we were never going to come to any agreement with them. If you had told me a year ago, when we first moved here, that I wouldn't have my shop open by now, I wouldn't have believed you.

I really felt like giving up after that. Could it really be so hard just to find a location to open the store? That was at the end of July. We took a couple of days off for a break and to try and think again about our options.

The following week we left the kids with our family and set off in the sweltering heat of August to start looking again. The last one we looked at seemed to be perfect for our needs and we signed the contract. To say I was relieved is an understatement.


I'll try to answer some of the questions I think you'll want answers to.

Where is it?

Unfortunately the shop is NOT in the old town of Nafplio. This is something that has been a disappointment to us. The planning laws in the old town make it extremely difficult to find a suitable location where the law allows a kitchen and not just a sales outlet. We decided, after much thought, that we can't wait for something suitable and within our budget to become available.

As I mentioned last time, we had tried to get a small shop very close to the old town but it wasn't to be. We expanded our search to some other streets we hadn't thought of before and that's when we found the perfect spot. Right at the base of Palamídi castle! This is the view when you look up from the front door:


Where exactly?

The exact address is: 13, 25 Martíou St (it's pronounced “Eikostís Pémptis Martíou”, and it means “25th of March”; we're on number 13 on this street). For those of you who know the area at all, 25 Martíou is the street which takes you to the Palamídi (if you drive & avoid the 1000 steps). It's also the road to the beautiful Karathóna beach. Most locals know the street and visitors pass by to go sightseeing or swimming. Even the little Nafplio tour train comes by; now all we have to do is convince them to make a stop :P

View Larger Map

We still haven't ruled out the thought of having somewhere in the old town as a second location in the future but for now our focus is on renovating and making cupcakes as soon as possible!

Is there a lot of work to do?


The shop is in fair condition but the last business was a souvlaki shop so, of course, there's going to be plenty of work to transform it. We need to divide off the rooms, build a kitchen and a bathroom and decorate. My Parents in Law have offered their time and expertise and apart from that I'm enlisting volunteers :P

What is the next step?

We have been waiting to get some of the paperwork out of the way before letting you all know. We have our pre-approval by the Town Hall and we just finished off the paperwork at the tax office. I am now a private enterprise :-)

So, when will you be opening doors?

A good question. We have a date we're aiming for but I have already learned that setting dates for things usually ends up with those dates flying by and me being depressed! When we know, you'll know!

We'll be blogging the shop transformation along the way. So get your dust sheets and paintbrushes out and stay tuned!

Liz Cupcakes