Photo courtesy of @LadyDucayne
It’s not only that I love to support local small business—I do—it’s also because these gals know how to serve up the goods. Not only that, they are nice people, too. Let me tell you how nice.
Just over a year ago, as we were struggling to put together our fourth annual fundraiser for Relay For Life and vendors were turning us down right and left, I got an email from Megan Gonzalez. She was “wondering if you’re still in need of dessert providers or gift basket donations for the Pop a Cork for a Cure event that you’re hosting”. I immediately called Megan and she quickly arranged to donate desserts and a basket. On May 8th, she and her partner/mother Marcy showed up with an array of macaroons, mole biscotti and red velvet cupcakes. They also carried in a huge gift basket filled with more of the delectable stuff. They stayed for the event and contributed to our auction and raffle. I was beside myself in gratitude, and I just don’t forget kindnesses like that.
Back then, in mid-2010, “the Pair” was still baking on the fly. They didn’t yet have a retail establishment, but were working hard toward that end. And recently, just over a year later, they opened their lovely little shop on Lyons Avenue in the Yellow Victorian Building. I caught up with Megan and Marcy on Monday, July fourth, and we had a chance to chat about cupcakes, the weather and the business. Since their shop is smack-dab in the middle of the parade route, they opened on their usual day off and baked up a yummy assortment of scones, cupcakes and cookies, brewed up a pot of coffee and iced down some tea.
What I learned from our talk is that opening a food business is a struggle—no surprise there, but still heart-wrenching to hear the details.
I learned that red velvet cake is originally from the South, and the heavy, cream-cheese laden frosting is not the traditional topping. The Pair painstakingly whips up a much lighter and more authentic frosting for their RV cupcakes, and the result is simply mouth-watering.
I learned the frustration shop owners feel when they can’t control loiterers who may cause customers discomfort.
I learned that there is no magical, secret-handshake-insider-info for small businesses trying to survive. No one really knows the winning combination; it’s all trial-and-error. Sometimes (probably more often than they would like) there are baked goods left at the end of their very long day. Those leftovers are usually donated to various charitable organizations in Santa Clarita. More thumbs up for that.
Megan and Marcy run a clean, safe, attractive little bakery. They work hard and are doing everything just as right as possible. There are something like six other nouveau bakeries in town, and I applaud them all—it takes a lot of sweat and moxy to open any kind of business in this economy. Not sure Santa Clarita can support that many pastry stores, and I already feel the heartache for the ones that may fail. Positive word-of-mouth is crucial, so we–my fellow coffee-klatchers and I–are doing our best to spread the word for the Poached Pair. Do stop in and pick up a box of scones, won’t you?
The Poached Pair is located at 22722 Lyons Avenue, #1, Newhall, California. For you locals, it’s where you turn in to park behind the Egg Plantation. Visit their website and be sure to connect with The Poached Pair on Facebook to watch for their daily menu items!
