The Queen’s Cups to close after 13 years in business
Photo | Savannah Donohue
Renee Diaz, owner of The Queen's Cups bakery on Water Street in Worcester
The Queen’s Cups, a prominent bakery located at 56 Water St. in Worcester, announced it is permanently closing after 13 years in business.
The closure was announced by Queen’s Cup Owner Renee Diaz on Facebook on Monday. The gourmet cupcake shop will be closing for good on Sunday.
“For the past 13 years, I’ve poured everything into this dream. Over the last three, I’ve done everything—and then some—to keep it alive,” Diaz wrote. “I’ve taken on crushing debt, made painful decisions, and carried a weight I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I kept going because of my team, who became family. Because of my dad, who stood beside me through it all. Because of our customers, who became friends. And because of my mom, who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I’ve sacrificed my health, my peace, and time with my family to chase this dream. And as much as I wanted to end it on my own terms, sometimes life just doesn’t work that way.”
Diaz is a regular contributor to the Worcester Business Journal as a columnist and wrote a piece in February where she pondered the future of her business amid several small business closures in Worcester.
“After almost 13 years, how am I in this position?,” Diaz wrote in February. “There is more than one answer to that question, some I am aware of, some bad luck, and a lot of life lessons. With every small business closing, I feel a pang in my heart and a question in my mind: Are we next? I don’t know if we are next. I hope not, because I love my job, my employees, and our customers. But as each week passes, the anxiety lives on. Any time we get ahead, we take three steps back.”
Diaz is a Millbury native who learned how to bake from scratch in her parents' kitchen, following her graduation from Worcester State University in 2012 with a degree in psychology.
She began to use social media to share her work, and people began showing interest in buying her treats. Renee decided to open a bakery in Millbury in 2012, following word of mouth about her cupcakes began to spread quickly.
The Queen’s Cups continued to be successful, and as a result, Diaz decided to hire a team and move to a bigger restaurant in the Canal District, with an eat-in area to meet the demands of her customers.
Redemption Rock Brewing Co., Maker to Main, The Plant Ward, and B.T.’s Fried Chicken and BBQ are among the small businesses which have permanently closed their Worcester locations since 2024.
Queen’s Cup will continue to operate as normal this week until Sunday.
Lucy Coran is an editorial intern for Worcester Business Journal and a rising sophomore at Smith College.
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