Le Macaron coming to TC

Jan. 15—TRAVERSE CITY — A tasty treat from France that found its way to Florida is heading to Traverse City from Grand Rapids.

Entrepreneurs Bobbi and William Blanton are set to open their second location of the Le Macaron French Pastries franchise in downtown Traverse City this spring. An April opening is targeted at 332 E. Front St.

The Blantons opened their first Le Macaron location at 132 Monroe Center St. Northwest in June 2022. The store is just across the street from Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids.

Bobbi Blanton is ready to bring the 80-calorie macaron north and thinks it will do well in downtown TC.

"I really hope so," said Blanton, whose 'day job' is as the COO of a financial services firm in Grand Rapids. "We're excited. One of the thing we really learned is they really pair well with wine.

"It's really a new trend. The whole French pastry market, so many of the younger generation love them. Traverse City always seems a little edgier. They're a hip, tourist environment. I think it will be a little different of a market."

Realtor Dan Stiebel, associate broker at Coldwell Banker Commercial, also thinks Le Macaron will be a good fit in TC. Stiebel is the manager of Sunny Oak Holdings, LLC, which owns the building.

"I think it's going to be a great addition to downtown Traverse City," Stiebel said. "I sampled the goods when I was in Vegas and they're delicious."

Founded in 2009, Le Macaron specializes in making authentic macarons and pastries. They prepared daily by French-trained chefs in Florida and shipped weekly.

Le Macaron French Pastries began franchise development in 2012, according to a release from the company's public relations consultant, TopFire Media. Co-owner Rosalie Guillem expanded the company from its headquarters in Sarasota, Florida, to more than 65 locations nationwide. There are another 20 in development.

Michigan has two other locations, Rochester and the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi.

When the Blantons opened the Grand Rapids store, they identified Traverse City as its second location. Bobbi Blanton said the couple plans to open a third store in the future. Holland has been mentioned as a third location, but something on the eastern side of the state is also a possibility.

"We'll kind of see where this goes," she said.

But Traverse City was always stop No. 2. The Blantons own a lakehouse on Lake Mitchell in Cadillac among other ties to northern Michigan.

"(Traverse City) is our next favorite place," Bobbi Blanton said. "I really thought I'd retire in Traverse City. My husband says we're going in the wrong direction."

In addition to loving macarons, opening Le Macaron French Pastries is a philanthropic endeavor for the Blantons. The couple have volunteered with the Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan for more than a dozen years.

The Grand Rapids store employs a staff of 17 including seven with disabilities. Bobbi Blanton said they plan to work with the Down Syndrome Association of Northwest Michigan and expect to have a similar staff set-up in Traverse City.

"That's really out mission behind opening these stores," she said.

Even though Le Macaron French Pastries is a franchise, Bobbi Blanton said the locations are given a lot of freedom.

The company was recently recognized as a Top 100 Game Changer by Franchise Dictionary Magazine, according to a release. "The national digital publication annually selects the top 100 franchises who have distinguished themselves as leaders within the franchise industry," the release said.

The company (https://lemacaron-us.com) was also named to the FranServe 2022 Fran-Tastic 500 list, recognizing the top franchises in the country. Guillem also received the "Woman of Wonder" award.

"It's kind of run like Kilwin's where (each franchise) is all family owned and operated," Bobbi Blanton said.

In Grand Rapids, the Blantons renovated the former Dog Pit to open Le Macaron. Extensive work delayed the opening in GR by a couple of months, but moving into a space that formerly housed The Big Salad Company in Traverse City will hopefully speed up the process.

"We are shooting for April," Bobbi Blanton said. "Hopefully the supply chain is a little better. Plus this location had been recently remodeled, so it should be a lot less work."

The Big Salad Company lasted less than a year in the space, Stiebel said. Zips Harley-Davidson Traverse City is in the adjacent storefront at 330 E Front St. in the building that was the former home of Yen Yoga and Fitness. There are other "studio" businesses in the back of the building.

Stiebel said as soon as the 332 E. Front St. space was advertised for lease, he was contacted by Grand Rapids Realtor Jason Makowski of NAI Wisinski of West Michigan and the deal went from there.

In addition to its signature macarons, the menu includes "gourmet chocolates, creamy French gelato, specialty European style coffees, classic French pastries and homemade candies," according to https://lemacarongr.com/.

But there's no doubt the macarons are the star of the show.

There are always more than 20 different varieties of the 80-calorie, gluten-free macarons in the store.

Bobbi Blanton said some of her and the store favorite flavors include pistachio, birthday cake and red velvet in addition to vanilla and chocolate. She said some unique and seasonal flavors include champagne and strawberry key lime.

Store hours are expected to be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.