A fabulously over-the-top bakery and boutique has debuted in historic downtown McKinney: Called Pinkitzel, it's a bakery, candy shop, and gift boutique now open at 101 W. Louisiana St., taking over a space that was previously Homeology.
Pinkitzel is from husband-and-wife Jonathan and Christa Jantz, who founded the concept in 2010 with their first location in Oklahoma City. Their goal was to create a place for families, couples, and children to enjoy sweet treats, including candy, cupcakes, truffles, cake balls, ice cream, and macarons.
They make their own cakes and cupcakes — there's a kitchen on-site — in flavors such as carrot cake, wedding almond, cotton candy, and trendy Dubai pistachio chocolate bar, each decorated to the nines with color-coordinated frosting, sprinkles, and nuts. Cakes come in two sizes, 5-inch petite for $40 and 8-inch for $100. Cupcakes are $6.
PinkitzelLisa Petty
There's a section dedicated to bulk candy sold by the pound ($20 per pound) such as M&Ms, candy necklaces, salt water taffy in a dozen flavors, gourmet chocolates, and nostalgic old-time candy in boxes like Dots.
Gift items include everything from trinkets to teapots to T-shirts. They also have an event space where they host private parties for kids (or adults).
What puts Pinkitzel over the top is the fantastical design, thanks to Christa's interior design training and Jonathan's skills in art and graphics.
"Think Willy Wonka, Alice in Wonderland, & Marie Antoinette," Jonathan says.
Enter and come face-to-face with a tower of oversized gold-leafed macaroons. Then, follow a trail of giant paper flower clusters to reveal countless whimsical portraits, done 18th-century style.
The name — which combines two words: pink and kitzel which means "tickled" in Yiddish — is a tipoff to the color scheme: There are pink metal chairs, pink cherubs hanging on the wall, hot-pink picture frames, pink flowered curtains, cupcakes perched on pink pedestals, light fixtures adorned with pink roses, a magenta tufted velvet couch, and a pink Oriental-style rug on the floor.
PinkitzelLisa Petty
Expanding to Texas was a natural because they have local connections: Christa is a native of Texas, and their daughter is a Dallas resident.
"We've loved shopping in downtown McKinney for several years and always thought a Pinkitzel would be a great fit," Jonathan says. "When the spot opened up, our landlords loved our concept and it seemed like the perfect time to make it happen."
