A Winnipeg pastry chef has turned the sweet luck of her pop-up micro-bakery into a brick-and-mortar store in the village of Osborne, one of the new breakthroughs helping to pull the community out of the pandemic crisis.
Chloe Wiebe, the Crumb Queen baker, opened her new shop in Osborne last month, with queues at the door as soon as she first opened.
The hordes of hungry consumers were no coincidence.
Wiebe and his ultra-Instagrammable delights perked up a hungry audience, and all with an undeniable hoax.
What for Cloe Wiebe, the most commonly self-taught baker, was a pandemic side hustle has become a full-time task producing fritters, bread, and much more. (Image source: Cloé Wiebe)
Winnipegger found itself experimenting with this staple coffee in another dark pandemic lockdown in 2020.
She posted a photo of herself of the candy on Instagram.
After countless stocks and direct messages, Wiebe made batches for friends and then strangers. Within weeks, she had quit her job as a baker at a local donut shop to start her new temporary bakery full-time.
Wiebe took weekly online orders, which sold out within minutes of becoming available.
The kitchen in his studio became too small for him and he began renting an advertising kitchen to meet the demand for his menu, which had expanded to breads, cookies, and more.
Chloe Wiebe, the self-taught Crumb Queen baker, poses with her cat Walter and her lively cakes (Image source: Sierra Pries).
Over the summer, he searched rental sites for an advertising area that Crumb Queen could call home.
“I started to lose hope, but then we figured out this list for this space, and it was a little weird,” she said.
“The owner of the entire construction plans to renovate it in 2025, so there is a short-term lease opportunity and in particular stated ‘a wonderful opportunity for a start-up business to grow. ‘”
Wiebe and his wife Andy Koropatnick, a fellow chef who infused the Crumb Queen menu with savory pastries and hearty sandwiches, signed the lease in late July unseen. The couple had spent the summer cooking for tree planters in B. C. desert and couldn’t personally come to their new store.
“We arrived on Aug. 1 and walked all over the area and got hit so hard that we had to leave and eat a bunch of McDonald’s,” Wiebe recalls.
Once the fries and burgers were eaten, they were put to work. The store opened a few weeks later, and since then, Wiebe and Koropatnick have struggled to keep up with the demand for donuts.
“The town of Osborne is incredible. We feel very fortunate to be here because there is a lot of foot traffic and there are a lot of wonderful corporations here.
Various Crumb Queen confectionery products are displayed at the bakery’s new location on Osborne Street. (Source: Chloé Wiebe)
DISTRICT IMPROVEMENTS DRIVE OSBORNE REVITALIZATION: COUNSELOR
Sherri Rollins (Red Fort-East Fort Garry), whose neighborhood includes the village, says the neighborhood has suffered setbacks during the pandemic. With less foot traffic in this once-bustling community, many businesses have been forced to change course or close their doors.
With the end of restrictions and the reopening of the world, the network has started its own turnaround.
Osborne Village BIZ has created an action plan for fitness and neighbourhood vitality. It was released earlier this year. Rollins’ workplace contributed $30,000 to the company.
Several street-level movements have already taken place, adding ongoing collaboration with Sabe Peace Walkers to increase protection in the neighborhood.
Rollins says the enterprise network is also reaping benefits from the recovery.
“There’s a revival. “
Some of the concepts proposed in the action plan, such as adding a pedestrian intersection and end paths, are tactics to keep the neighborhood more flexible and grow its business community, he says.
New housing opportunities, such as the 207-unit apartment complex built on the site of the former Osborne Village Motor Inn, will also inject more density and potential new consumers for the area’s many businesses.
“We’re widening the sidewalks. We’re attracting more people, and that’s smart for business. That’s why rental symptoms are diminishing and businesses are moving in.