LEBANON, Ore. — We have heard so much about restaurants and other businesses that are suffering right now.
But some are seeing success in the middle of the pandemic. At the historic Lebanon Hotel, a brand new business is thriving.
The grand opening of Chelly Bouferrache’s new business in downtown Lebanon, Colette Bakery & Bistro, didn’t go exactly the way she’d hoped.
“I was supposed to open April 1 and have a grand opening April 15 and of course that didn’t happen,” said Bouferrache.
“I think I sat home for about three and a half weeks watching Netflix, making a lot of food, baking,” she said.
Then, she made a decision she's glad she made.
“I decided to go ahead and just launch and do to-go, and it's been going crazy ever since from day one,” said Bouferrache.
“I prepped what I thought would last all day long and it was gone in just over an hour."
Bouferrache said after that, she stayed up all night making four days worth of pastries for the next day.
“It went in three and a half, so yes I was stunned,” she said.
“I was like holy cow, I don't even know how I'm going to keep up.”
The news she was open spread quickly through Facebook and word of mouth and it’s clear people are excited about the new addition to downtown Lebanon. Bouferrache said it’s not unusual for her to sell out.
Look in her case, and she’s got all sorts of goodies, from pain au chocolat, to brioche with cream cheese and fruit filling, to almond croissants, to her popular sea salt caramel rolls.
French pastries at Colette Bakery & Bistro draw business in Lebanon
“The most popular item is the caramel rolls. I have a sea salt caramel roll and I sell a couple dozen every day,” she said.
Bouferrache’s love of French pastries developed when she lived overseas in Germany and Algeria. She said her in-laws owned French bakeries in Algeria.
“It was heaven, it was wonderful,” said Bouferrache.
So she decided she needed to bring a little heaven to Lebanon, her hometown.
“I just thought it's time. We definitely need to have a bakery and it has to be a French bakery,” Bouferrache said.
It turns out, her idea was a pretty good one.
“I thought people would buy one or two pastries when they come in. But in reality they'll generally buy boxes of pastries,” she said.
Bouferrache said her business has so far been profitable.
“I've been able to employ a couple people part time,” she said.
“I didn't realize I’d have to hire people so quickly.”
But she said she couldn't have done what she has without the support of her community.
“It's just a really great town with some really supportive people in it.”
Right now Bouferrache is just doing to-go pastries and coffee, but she’s got plans to expand the menu to include things like sandwiches and salads. When social distancing guidelines relax and people are able to sit and eat at her establishment, they'll be spending time in a space that has been largely unchanged for decades at the historic Lebanon Hotel.
