Treat yourself: Brio, Duchess bakeries benefitting from rising Edmonton industry

Some local bakeries seem to have found the recipe for economic success, expanding their businesses despite tough times. Gates Guarin reports.

A couple bakeries around the city are raking in the dough – even in times of economic uncertainty – as coffee shop culture becomes an increasingly popular industry.

Brio Bakery, located in the Oliver Exchange Building, recently announced it would be expanding to the Whyte Avenue area. A sign for the shop is already up at its new 9612 82 Ave. spot.

Also expanding is Duchess Bake Shop, which bought up space on 124 Street after the building next to them opened up.

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“I mean, you can’t really time that. That was just kismet, fortune, luck, blessings, whatever you want to call it,” co-founder Garner Beggs told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday.

Beggs recalled opening Duchess in 2009 during an economic recession, a dangerous time for small businesses. What kept them in business, then and now, Beggs said, was fairness to customers who just want a sweet treat.

“The cafe culture, to me, is one of the cornerstones of building a happy, healthy, interesting society and culture to create places where people can organically interact,” he added.

Laura Kinghorn, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce vice president for community relations, said the expansion of shops like Brio and Duchess was both encouraging and indicative of what the chamber already knows: the coffee shop and bakery industry in Edmonton is doing remarkably well.

“The food sector industry is actually one of the sectors we see growth in, whereas a lot of other sectors are in a state of decline,” she said on Thursday.

She added that the “treat yourself” mentality is far more palatable for a coffee and danish than a massive purchase or $300 night out at a restaurant. Like Beggs, she too credits the community for keeping local bakeries afloat.

“Edmontonians are the ones that show up. They support these restaurants. They support these cafes. And that’s how these cafes can actually justify growth and expansion, which is really encouraging,” Kinghorn said.

Duchess Bake Shop’s expanded location, which will feature a teaching kitchen and event space, is set to open in January, barring any complications. Brio Bakery has yet to confirm the details of their new space.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Gates Guarin