Cupcakes have lost a lot of their pop at this point, but Love Cupcakery—located just east of the NoHo Arts District—has found invigorating ways to distinguish their brand. Melody Duperval launched Love Cupcakery in August in the former home of a barbershop and record store. The tiny space features a colorful blue, red and yellow façade, a wood floor, no seats, gold balloons that spell LOVE and a shelf of the day’s cupcakes.

Melody earned an MBA and consulted for Fortune 500 companies like JT Global before recalling a favorite activity of her youth: baking cupcakes. Her little sister is 13 years younger than her, which can make it tough to find common ground. Melody says, “The only way we could communicate was through cupcakes.”

Melody bakes 14 cupcake flavors and offers seven to nine flavors daily, including red velvet cream cheese, triple chocolate fudge s’mores, blue velvet with or without M&Ms and lemon salted caramel. All cupcakes come in clear plastic cups, a trick she learned while catering that protects her creations from tumbles and simultaneously heightens their visual appeal.

Hunger and homelessness are also near and dear to her heart, including support for the Los Angeles Mission downtown, which has been providing aid to men, women, and children in need since 1936. Melody also makes prints and started a clothing line, both of which are available at Love Cupcakery, with 40% of sales benefiting the L.A. Mission. She says, “When you’re helping me, you’re helping me help them.”

10753 W. Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, 818-850-1063