moving to and opening a french patisserie in Charlotte?

[Anigirli]

Adream thank youfor the encouragement. Actually I am in college persuing my degree in Journalism. Don't know what my minor will be yet.

Charlotte may be "laid back suburban" in some respects, but as you start to research the area further; you will find that there are lots of interesting places to give your patronage.
For example Dilworth Coffee on East Blvd is great.
http://www.dilworthcoffee.com
As more people from other places settle in Charlotte you will see more distinct niche market businesses multiply.

[KThomas]

Originally Posted by Adream

Anigirli, when I find that here in the U.S. - I'll know I've found "home." *sigh*

BTW - you are a wonderful writer! If you aren't doing if for a living yet, you should seriously consider it!

i agree anigirl...minor in....social work?(because you're uber helpful), or...real estate (well duh).....

[Anigirli]

Adream and Kthomas
Well I have been asked many times if I'm a realtor before. Have thought about it. If I do decide to do it then I would only focus on older homes. That would be sort of my niche business. I have an appreciation for historic homes since that type of construction is very hard to duplicate today. The materials they used then might be to astronomical expensive and rare now; elaborate details were done by skilled artisans. These grand homes have a seamless/understated elegance to them. No detail or feature stands out (or screams out) like the faux stone foyer found in some of the McMansions. Each feature of the house was carefully considered to produce a result and a balance that is greater than the single parts.

[KThomas]

Originally Posted by sheena

Off subject but have you seen the AZ market lately?

A little shop uptown might be really expensive to operate but it would probably do well. Maybe you should look at running a little shop at Birkdale Village and buying a condo somewhere in Cornelius or Huntersville.

thx. i will add this to my to-do list of areas to look into. By 'AZ market', what did you mean? we moved to france from AZ. That is where we will be selling a house. We moved from Prescott, AZ. , My husband was the pastry chef for a small french patissrie there, and that town is too small to support 2 patisseries. Also, we didn't like Presott much--it was a desert town. We had considered Sedona, but it is also desert. NC seems to be a better place for us.

[KThomas]

Originally Posted by winston2000

If you can go small, there are condo options under 150,000 in Selwyn Village in Myers Park (one of the most desirable areas of Charlotte. I would also look at opening a shop with proximity to this area.

Keep in mind- we are a banking town, so you may do alright uptown during the day, but nights and weekends will be dead. Dilworth/Elizabeth/Park Road Shopping center/Selwyn Avenue shopping areas would be excellent to look in for the shop.

One of the VERY first things I do when I go to Paris is stop in a patisserie , so please come to Charlotte!!!

i will also add these areas to consider. we are hoping to make a 2 week trip to nc in september.

in answer to your comment about being a banking town...we only plan to be open for breakfast and lunch as it is. so perhaps it would be a perfect match? weekends being slow would be unfortunate, but we want to close 1 day a week anyway, and did not know whether it would be sunday or monday. so perhaps it would be good to close on sunday? we hadn't decided what time to close for the day. what time does the lunch rush usually slow down? also, is this a good area for sit-down breakfasts? we were thinking of...in addition to the pastries...offering a small breakfast and lunch menu. for breakfast...omelettes, eggs benedict, maybe a breakfast sandwich...for lunch...cold and hot sandwiches including paninis, and a few salads. the idea for a sit-down breakfast came from the last place my husband worked in america. they did not offer an actual breakfast menu, but customers were always asking for it. but it was a retirement community.

anyhoo...thx for your input.

[KThomas]

Originally Posted by melkat

come open up your business in Lake Norman..we are in dire need of a really good bakery with good cakes and pasteries...I generally go to mooresville to La Patisserie to get our bakery items (they are actually colombian though, not french) I know a place in Denver closed down over a year ago and people really miss it ( I had never been)

Lake Norman? I'll look into it...but, Denver? Are you talking about Colorado?

[KThomas]

Originally Posted by CRock

As the previous posters said take a look at Raleigh and Charlotte. I have been to Raleigh a few times, but lived in Charlotte 27+ years. Charlotte is a "happening" place and I dont think you could go wrong. To me Raleigh just does not have the same vibe. While in town check out Nova Bakery, while not a Patissere, It was started from scratch by Bosnian immigrants and has a huge following and have been very successful. They are located in Plaza-Midwood.

Good Luck!!!

thx! this would definitely be a beneficial couple to talk to!

[Anigirli]

Originally Posted by KThomas

Lake Norman? I'll look into it...but, Denver? Are you talking about Colorado?

No sweetie they don't mean Denver CO, your so cute! Denver, North Carolina is a little town located on the west side of Lake Norman in Lincolnton county. Here is a link to the community so you can read some info on it.
http://www.co.lincoln.nc.us/
http://www.denvernc.com/
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp...te=nc&zipcode=
It is a very quaint area.

[KThomas]

...but thx.