 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
An appetite for French pastry
By MONIQUE FIELDS
© St. Petersburg Times, CLEARWATER -- A French husband-and-wife team have brought a slice of their country's best culinary delights to downtown. Paris natives Carole and Gerard Andreani are hoping residents will flock to their new bakery, the French Croissant, and satisfy their desire for all things rich and sweet: cheese puffs, biscuits, cakes, and, of course, croissants. If the bakery's first few days of business are any guide, they may get their wish. The store opened Tuesday and quickly sold all of its chocolate croissants. The next day, the batch was doubled. All had been sold by 2 p.m., as had several dozen quiche slices. "Most American people know this product, and they love it. I had 100 (chocolate croissants) this morning, and they are all gone," Gerard Andreani said. Still, setting up shop in downtown Clearwater is risky business these days. Andreani's Cleveland Street storefront sits directly across from retail space near Fort Harrison Avenue that has "For Lease" signs in the windows. A failed referendum last year squashed development progress in Clearwater, but the city's Main Street program has a detailed plan to help business owners move in. The joint program, which includes the city, the Downtown Development Board and other property owners and agencies, is busy trying to recruit businesses from other cities, especially those being pushed out of the Bel Forest Shopping Center to make way for a Walgreens in Belleair Bluffs. Soon, members plan to contact real estate offices and let them know about available property in Clearwater. "We're just going to have to do it the slow way, one block at a time, one property at a time," said Diane Smith, the Main Street coordinator and a member of the city's economic development team. The city is also using a personal touch to attract and retain business owners. For example, Bob Fernandez, a Main Street volunteer, helped Andreani acquire an occupation permit. He is also helping him apply for up to $5,000 in grant money from the Downtown Development Board to improve the store's exterior. The extra help is an investment that could reap huge rewards for the downtown area. "If you look at it long range, business brings business," Fernandez said. That's why city leaders can't wait for the new Starbucks Coffee Co. to open its doors in September on the southwest corner of Cleveland and Fort Harrison Avenue. They hope the trendy shop, which hawks expensive coffee, will draw other businesses to the downtown area. Andreani, who moved to Clearwater two years ago in part to be closer to the Church of Scientology, also is looking forward to his new neighbor and the business it could bring. He decided to open a bakery after meeting chef Helene Robert in Tarpon Springs. His wife is serving as Robert's understudy and learning how to make the sweet treats. Andreani spent his first two years in Clearwater selling real estate. He figures he will be more fulfilled in the baking business. "I think there is more value in what I do now than what I did before," he said. "You feel good when people like what you do." With the help of Main Street and the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, Andreani did his homework and found that residents cried out for a business like his. Sixty-seven percent of the more than 2,000 shoppers, Church Scientology members and visitors and business owners rated the quality of restaurants and shops as "poor to fair," in a survey analysis conducted in two phases in 2000 for the Main Street program. Respondents also said there were gaps in retail business downtown, including a dearth of stores that sell gourmet food items. When asked what kinds of restaurants they would like to see in downtown Clearwater, French food was one of several specialties to receive high ratings. That was all Andreani needed to hear. He plans to put a few tables on the sidewalk outside his door and lure customers who might want to sip a cup of coffee with an apple tart. A store logo is also in the works. And by the end of the year, he also hopes to cater to residents' pastry needs in their homes and businesses. "It was a risk, but I got some information that there is a demand," he said. "When you go to another's country and bring something from your country, it's very pleasant."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times North Pinellas desks |
