LGBT hate message against Cranford, NJ bakery backfires

🌈 Anonymous letter said sender would boycott for rainbow flag

🌈 Bakery responded with LGBT charity bakesale

🌈 Photos show line out the door and around the block

CRANFORD — A North Jersey bakery is savoring the love shown by the Cranford community after the business received a sour piece of hate mail last month.

The Sweet n' Fancy Emporium held a pride charity bake sale on Sunday, raising thousands of dollars for the Trevor Project, owner Amanda Girardi said. The nonprofit offers mental health services for struggling LGBTQ+ youth.

Photos and video showed people lined up down the block to buy colorful sweets. They all came out in response to an anonymous piece of hate mail sent to Sweet n' Fancy.

The letter, posted on social media, complained about the bakery's rainbow pride flag out front. The sender promised that their "girlfriends" would all boycott the store.

Instead of seeing less business, Girardi said the support was overwhelming.

With barely any notice of the spur-of-the-moment event, hundreds lined up outside the shop on South East Avenue. At its peak, the wait was around an hour and a half.

Originally, the event was supposed to run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. But with 45 minutes left and a line that kept going, they ran out of sweets.

Donations are still coming in but Girardi said that as of Thursday morning, they've raised $4,000 for the Trevor Project. That includes bake sales, T-shirt sales, and other donations.

Mayor Brian Andrews said a pride flag will fly again at the municipal building in June "to stand up for inclusivity and against hate."

"Cranford is an inclusive, pluralistic community that is welcoming to all residents and visitors," he said. "It was heart-warming to see so many people come out to support Sweet n' Fancy over the weekend in their fundraiser for the Trevor Project."

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