Magnolia Bakery, the New York City purveyor of cupcakes once prized by the gals on “Sex in the City”—and featured in the “Saturday Night Live” video “Lazy Sunday”—received state approval this week to sell franchises and is eyeing overseas markets as diverse as Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Doha, Qatar.
The new franchises will only be sold abroad, according to the store’s co-owner, Steve Abrams. He says the bakery’s vintage cakes and desserts are already popular outside the U.S., thanks in no small part to Carrie Bradshaw, the sex columnist portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker on the widely syndicated HBO series.