New downtown SLO bakery serves up French-style macarons, pastries: ‘Demand has been high’
A new San Luis Obispo bakery opened downtown on Saturday after months of planning and tenant upgrades — and so far business has been popping, according to its owners.
Monika’s Macarons opened for takeout at 1127 Broad St., Suite A, next to Big Sky Cafe and across from the new Hotel Cerro.
The new shop, operated by Monika Anderson and Rick Joseph, features French-style macarons, gluten-free eclairs and other pastries.
“This weekend, we sold out of 250 macarons in less than four hours,” Joseph said. “We had to close on Sunday to restock and we’re closed again today (Tuesday). We’ll have limited hours per COVID restrictions.
“We thought about waiting until after the pandemic, but the demand has been high and we wanted to have a soft opening.”
The bakery’s signature item is decorative macarons — delicate meringue-based cookie sandwiches in a variety of colors and hand-painted with artistic designs. The business will focus on making more of the petite treats to keep up with customer demand.
Macarons — pronounced “mac-a-rohn” as opposed to “mac-a-roon,” Joseph said — cost $2.50 each or $28 for a 12-pack.
Over the next few weeks, Monika’s Macarons plans to expand its food offerings to include scones, muffins and other pastries, as well as frittatas, soups and sandwiches. The business also sells gourmet coffee from Seattle and tea.
Macarons — pronounced “mac-a-rohn,” although many Americans say “mac-a-roon,” Joseph said — are priced at $2.50 each or $28 for a 12-pack.
In the future, the owners plan to obtain a license to sell wine and beer.
“Eventually, we want to have a YouTube channel with baking classes and be involved in wineries and weddings, but we have to walk before we jog, and then jog before we sprint,” Joseph said.
SLO native brings bakery to hometown
Anderson, a San Luis Obispo native, previously operated her business in Temecula, selling wholesale confections. She partnered in a bakery there in 2017.
After a divorce, she returned to her hometown of San Luis Obispo to start anew. Joseph, her boyfriend, and she have been completing the upgrades on her new business for the past eight months.
“I feel like it’s an opportunity,” Anderson said. “I’m not worried about the business being able to succeed. Even in this pandemic, people were knocking on the door, asking if we were open or not. I think the only thing I’m worried about is having to confront someone who doesn’t want to wear a mask.”
Anderson said that customers can order and pickup food inside.
In keeping with state and county guidelines, customers can use one of the outdoor parklets to eat their food, or take their meals elsewhere. But they must wear masks.
“We want everyone to be safe,” Anderson said. “I don’t want to catch COVID and I don’t want anyone else to.”
Business owners deal with car, dog theft
The past several months have been a wild journey for Anderson and Joseph.
Amid their commercial tenant improvements, Anderson’s car was stolen with her dog inside as she went inside her shop space briefly to catch up with a contractor.
She was reunited with her dog and 2009 gray BMW about 17 hours later when the alleged thief, a transient woman, was arrested on car theft, animal cruelty and drug charges.
A San Luis Obispo resident discovered the dog on Serrano Circle, a couple of blocks from Foothill Boulevard, and reported it. The car was parked nearby.
“I feel very lucky now to have gotten my car, and mostly importantly, my dog, back,” Anderson said.
New downtown business negotiates lease deal
Anderson said that she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to open a business in San Luis Obispo, especially downtown, because of how expensive it is in general.
“I was able to negotiate with the landlord, and request a deal that’s reduced from the listed price, otherwise I’m not sure if we could afford it,” Anderson said. “The landlord was understanding.”
Anderson said the 2,400-square-foot space has a starting cost of $2,000 per month for the first six months, increasing by $125 per month thereafter before topping out at $5,000.
The scaled increase will allow Anderson to transition to normal life as people get vaccinated and life begins to return to normal, she said.
The business is located next to the former location of Sidecar Cocktail Co., which moved to a new spot at 1040 Broad St. near the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. The old Sidecar space is now empty.
Chinelo Mexican Restaurant has posted a “Coming Soon” sign at the business space at 1131 Broad St., where Lotus formerly operated before it moved to the Mission Mall in April.
Anderson said she believes landlords are flexible during the current business climate, due to COVID-19 impacts, and encourages other business owners to test the waters with lease arrangements that might work for them.
“It’s a big deal but it’s a big risk,” Joseph said. “It was basically empty for eight years and had to be renovated from the ground up.”
“As spring and summer rolls around, we really hope to get rolling with hours that are about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, but we’re still trying to figure out that cadence,” he added. “We can’t wait to see what this is going to look like at full throttle post COVID.”
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