WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. — A pink frosted cupcake sits atop Cindy Curry’s West Columbia bakery Love a Cup.
It’s a glowing example of the life-long passion she’s only recently been able to bring to brick-and-mortar.
“All my life I wanted to bake and try new things and create and so every time I can try to think of something, it’s like let’s do it,” Curry said. “That’s why it’s called Love a Cup because I feel like it’s a cup of love in every bite. That love is from me, because I love to do it."
But her passion has not come without challenges.
The first was the coronavirus pandemic and now the Russian-Ukraine War is causing a strain, as countries across the world sanction Russia to try to slow its deadly advance.
“It's very hard, very hard. So, if I look like I got bags under my eyes, it might be because I cried sometime today,” Curry said. “Since the Russia event, it went from $6 to $9 just to get eggs. So, you can imagine trying to get flour. Flour has went from $25 to $35 since the last two weeks.... People are trying to decide whether I want to spend $4 for gas to go over there and get a cupcake or do I want to go home.... So, it's given us a big effect where people not coming in like we normally see people coming in."
She’s not alone.
Elena Gonzalez is with Casa Oaxaca Mexican Restaurant. She spoke with her daughter as a translator.
“Yes, the war has impacted the prices,” Gonzalez said. “Whenever gas prices go up, the prices of meat go up as well and so it causes the income that we're getting from the meals and things like that, it's not adding up to what we're buying.... We're not making profit as much as we would."
Joseph Von Nessen, a research economist with the University of South Carolina, says the war’s impact will likely stretch across industries, but there could be a silver lining.
“….shipping costs and transportation costs are part of every major industry from food, to online purchases, to items that you buy for your house,” Von Nessen said. “We hope it's a one-time effect which will increase prices in the short run, but hopefully that will level off."
Curry is hoping too.
“Hopefully, it's going to pass,” Curry said. “It's going to get better and we can do it.”