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Johnny Cupcakes on Melrose

Boston area entrepreneur Johnny Earle started his label Johnny Cupcakes as a total joke. These days he’s laughing as he crisscrosses the globe promoting his products and brand. Johnny Cupcakes stores are designed as a kind of trickery with classic bakery motifs, but no buns are in the ovens here — it’s silk-screened shirts and hats that are for sale (a similar concept to the Happy Pills candy store we wrote about back in 2007) .

T-shirts and other trinkets are displayed inside glass pastry cases. As you can imagine, between the name and decor, potential customers walk in expecting tasty treats, not trendy tees, and sometimes they’re pretty annoyed. Nevertheless, the company goes above and beyond to promote the misconception. In the store on Melrose in LA, the team has recently collaborated with the Late Carlson & Co. to go beyond anything they’ve constructed. Have a look at their Jordan Almond-colored retro oven installation.

Marni Elyse Katz is a Contributing Editor at Design Milk. She lives in Boston where she contributes regularly to local publications and writes her own interior design blog, StyleCarrot.