Couple denied service by Colorado bakery and its owner, on basis of sexual orientation

A wedding cake was denied to a couple…fair or unfair?

A wedding is a joyous occasion. Choosing the venue, the invitations, the wardrobe, the reception, all this is part of the fun in planning such a momentous event. But for a Denver couple, their planning was indelibly marked with the stain of homophobia.

Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins, a same-sex couple, were recently denied service by a local bakery on the basis of their sexual orientation. Masterpiece Cakeshop, and its owner Jack Phillips, told the couple that his business doesn’t support same-sex marriage. According to local newspaper Westword, when asked for a comment on the accusations, an unidentified employee of Masterpiece Cakeshop would only comment “We have nothing to say about that.” When pressed, the employee stated “We don’t want to talk about that, so you’ll just have to make something up.”

Craig and Mullins, who are planning their ceremony for the September, opted to take their business to the “gayest bakery they could find.” Still, the couple can’t help but be troubled by the bakery and its owner’s reaction to their request.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been refused service at a business because I was gay,” Mullins told another media outlet.  “I want (bakery owner Phillips) to know that what he did hurt us. All we wanted was a cake. We didn’t want him to put on a rainbow shirt and march in the gay pride parade.”

Since the story broke last week, the bakery has slammed via social media with negative posts to their Yelp! account, and an entire Facebook page devoted to calling a boycott of the bakery.

What do you think of the actions of the bakery? Weigh in with your opinion in our comments.

Facebook COO breaks glass ceiling, joining company’s board of directors

According to Fast Company magazine, Sheryl Sandberg has been appointed to the board of directors of Facebook. Sandberg, currently the company’s COO, is the first woman to join the board. Read more here…

Look out Facebook; the 4 reasons women are heading to Pinterest

As we cover in this blog quite often, Pinterest is quickly gaining on the social media juggernaut Facebook when it comes to popularity. Now comes word that women are turning to the freshmen application in record numbers. Why? Follow this link, and learn why Pinterest is winning with the fairer sex.

Simplicity, relaxing, and great for innovative marketers are just a couple of reasons for the jump in feminine “pinning.” What, if any, has your experience been with Pinterest? Let us know by leaving your comments.

The value of social media to your bottom line

Is a Tweet more of a value to your business than a Facebook post?

Pinterest…Facebook…Yelp…Foursquare. The number of social media sites is growing by leaps and bounds, and it shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. But as companies struggle to keep up with it all, there is really only one question that effects your bottom line: how does all this social media stuff benefit my bottom line?

In an interesting post in the blog “VentureBeat,” a study was recently conducted to determine what all this social media is worth. There is also a handy-dandy graphic to drive the point home.

After seeing this, you may want to make some changes to your social media efforts…post haste! So how much is social media part of your business? Let us know in your comments.

Michael Purcell: Artist, and social media-savvy innovator

Denver artist Michael Purcell and some of his work.

Social media has been a godsend not only to small business, but to the artistic world as well. Find out how local artist, Michael Purcell, has utilized one of the largest social media juggernauts to turn his unique work into some of the most sought after art in the country.