To create a vibrant atmosphere for your bakery or pastry shop, you’ll want to go beyond generic measures. Certainly, glass cases have their place for showcasing your wares, but there’s so much more you can do to create a signature setting that is sure to attract customers again and again. While high-quality fare is a must, a well-designed setting is something that will market your business continually. Keep the following ideas in mind as you put together your decorative plan.
Show It Off
If all you have is a single glass case to show off your baking prowess, you’re not showcasing your talent effectively. People eat with their eyes. Think about the scene from the classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film. Wouldn’t you love to be a kid in that candy store? It pays to create eye-catching displays even if you fill them with faux cakes and pastries. It will still allow your customers to see what you can do, which will inspire them to order. Fill clear glass apothecary jars with macarons or cookies. Create a centerpiece table loaded with baskets of fresh bread. By showing off your products, you’ll be able to market them effectively.
A Place to Sit Down
You can infuse your pastry shop with cozy ambience when you offer visitors a place to sit down. Window seats can be great for those busy days. Some customers may appreciate a place to sit down. If you serve coffee, be sure to add a few bistro tables to your bakery. A few sturdy restaurant table bases, eclectic table tops, and simple wood seats are all you need to effectively outfit your setting with convenient seating.
Old-Fashioned Charm
Vintage decorative schemes are popular among pastry shops because the style suggests that “made-from-scratch” ethic that defines old-fashioned culinary goodness. Vintage styles are also attractive and fun to work with. From a vintage Parisian boulangerie design to a charming “Main Street” bakery with loads of character, you can add vintage light fixtures, buffets, and bakers’ racks to achieve a simple but effective decorative scheme.
Chic and Sophisticated
If you prefer a more streamlined and elegant look for your bakery, just imagine your designing a space that might be housed in a Ritz Carleton or on a luxurious Manhattan street. You can use color, mirrors, and high-end furnishings to create a designer space to emphasis your designer goodies.
More Is More
What’s better than three shelves of cupcakes, tarts, and pies? Five shelves–even ten shelves. People tend to like variety, so if you can create a space with plenty of room for people to sit and enjoy your pastries as well as plenty of display room for your wares, you’ll have a design hit on your hands.
Opening a new bakery or pastry shop is an exciting endeavor. It’s a place that people will love to come to again and again if the atmosphere is sweet and positive and, of course, of the pastries are world class. Keep these tips in mind as you plan for your design success.
Marquis Fore has been closely involved in a number of retail design projects in his work and likes to share his thoughts and ideas online. He is a regular writer on a number of business orientated websites.
