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The story of Amelie’s… a French Bakery starts simply enough. With the closing of a bakery in Charlotte, North Carolina’s artsy NoDa district, Lynn St. Laurent noticed a gap in the market. It was a gap that St. Laurent and her family, with their French Canadian background and family recipes passed down through the generations, believed that they just might be able to fill. Three years later, not only has Amelie’s fulfilled its owners’ expectations – it has exceeded them to become one of Charlotte’s hottest pastry destinations with its original NoDa flagship and the introduction of a new Uptown outlet in October of 2010.
The key came at the suggestion of Lynn St. Laurent’s niece, Stefanie, events coordinator at Amelie’s who had been living in New York City at the time. “She had said that there were places there that were open 24/7, and it was really convenient to not have to think about when they were open,” says Lexi St. Laurent, Marketing Director at Amelie’s (and daughter to Lynn).
At that point, a few months after opening its doors, Amelie’s was already bustling and the St. Laurent family was struggling just to get paperwork done between customers. “It was one of those things where we were there very early in the morning to start baking, and we were leaving really late at night,” says Lexi. “I want to say we were leaving around 11:00 at night and coming in at 5:00AM. So we figured: well, it probably won’t be so terribly busy, we’ll just get caught up on paperwork. So we unlocked the doors, and literally do not know where the key is.”
Did it work? In a way. “We certainly did not get caught up on paperwork,” jokes Lexi. Instead, Amelie’s 24/7 business model has built a legion of loyal customers at all hours of the day and night. Of course, opening the doors isn’t enough to bring customers in – there has to be a draw, and Amelie’s has it.
Naturally, it starts with the food. Amelie’s keeps it simple with traditional French desserts and St. Laurent family recipes handed down through the generations, all made with real ingredients – you won’t find preservatives or trans-fats here, but you will find fresh veggie-filled soups and salads, gourmet coffee, and tender flaky pastries made with plenty of real sugar and butter like the good French Lords of Baking intended. When Amelie’s started, Lynn worked with head chef Kelly Stegenga to build the menu – by now, in addition to Stegegna, Amelie’s employs up to 14 chefs whipping up sweet and savory creations around the clock.
Another secret to success: immersing oneself in the surrounding scene. In the case of Amelie’s, it’s the lively NoDa art district. Every first and third Friday of the month, galleries throughout NoDa fling open their doors for Gallery Crawls, and Amelie’s is there with specials to entice hungry art enthusiasts throughout the evening and long into the night.
It also helps that there’s nothing else quite like it in Charlotte. “We’re the only 24/7 place in Charlotte that’s not a waffle house or a diner,” Lexi notes. With live music, free Wi-Fi for customers, and cozily eclectic shabby chic décor, Amelie’s offer something a little different, which is appealing to a wide range of customers (especially younger crowds looking for a place to call home in Charlotte’s art scene.) “I think one of the best things about the hours and the place is that it’s a place where you can go and feel like you’re out and you’re socializing – and we don’t serve alcohol, so you can have 15-year-olds there all night if they want to be, you know? It’s an inclusive atmosphere.”
The one thing Amelie’s hasn’t had to rely on is advertising. “We actually haven’t done any traditional advertising,” says Lexi (excepting as a show of support for the local NoDa neighborhood association rag). “Any time we’ve been featured in any media it hasn’t been solicited at all, so social media has been really, really important for us.” Rather, Amelie’s has relied on social media to get the word out. Tweeting, posting photos and descriptions of daily soups and specials on Facebook, and communicating with fans – the staff at Amelie’s does it all. “We just basically use social media to kind of chat with our fans on more of a personal basis,” says Lexi. To say it gets the job done is an understatement: at the moment, the Amelie’s Facebook page is pushing 15,000 likes.
Not bad for a little pastry and coffee shop. But in an era where there are coffee shops on every corner, Amelie’s has managed to set itself well above the fray. So next time you’re in Charlotte, stop in. No need to worry about when – the doors are always open.
