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Last week Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig stopped by Lakewood’s Masterpiece Cakeshop to order a cake for their wedding reception — what they hoped would be a rainbow-layered masterpiece decked out in teal and red frosting (their ceremony colors). Although they’ll be reciting their vows in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the couple plans to celebrate with a reception for friends and family in Denver.
But they say that after bakery owner Jack Phillips listened to their request, he refused it: Masterpiece doesn’t create cakes for gay weddings.
The report on that denial sparked an outpouring of comments, including this one from smallbusinessowner:
Isn’t this “letting the market work”? It seems if a business makes a poor business decision to not include a potentially significant market that folks shouldn’t be surprised when they get lambasted by upset once-potential customers. I know as a consumer I regularly let my friends know when I think a business fails to meet my needs. Masterpiece Cakeshop is simply experiencing the beauty of the free market.
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And the free market is speaking freely about Masterpiece Bakery. Post your thoughts below, or join the conversation already under way here.
