Ward 4 sixth grader exerts business acumen, delves into cupcake scene

This is one Ward 4 youngster with an insatiable entrepreneurial spirit. Kayla Kimble, an 11-year-old sixth grader at LaSalle-Backus Education Campus, loves to bake and has been doing it since she was eight. With the help of her savvy mom, Lynn, Kayla started up her own mobile cupcake shop, KK Cupcakes, last August. Her cupcakes are gaining quite a following, judging by the steady stream of customers I saw visiting her stand yesterday at the corner of Kennedy and Madison Streets NE.

Kayla does her baking in the morning before she leaves for school, comes home in the afternoon and does her homework, and then goes out to set up her shop. She has a wide range of flavors in her baking repertoire, but focuses on two each day in the interest of keeping her business sustainable. Yesterday I had a Red Velvet and a Vanilla Apple Crisp, and they were delicious. I might even go so far as to say that Kayla's creations are yummier than many from the storefront cupcake shops around town.

I asked Kayla if she wants to be a baker when she grows up, and she said, "Very much!" So this is great experience for her. And Lynn is instilling good business practices in her daughter early on. (Kayla: leans on the table during a rare moment of down time; Lynn: "Kayla, don't lean on the table!"; Kayla: stands up straight!)

Kayla will be set up at the corner of Kennedy and Madison Streets NE for the rest of this week from 4-6:30 pm, and plans to take her cupcakes to Dupont Circle this Saturday afternoon. The best way to keep up with Kayla and her mobile cupcakery is to follow KK Cupcakes on Twitter.