Havre de Grace Macaron Shop Turns 1

Happy birthday to Les Petits Bisous!

The macaron shop turned one over the weekend.

Owner Wanda Hall opened the store last August, a year after she moved to Havre de Grace. Located on North Washington Street, Les Petits Bisous, which means "little kisses" in French, is Hall's version of the Parisian macaron shop.

"I'm trying to mimic the type of macaron boutiques that are in Paris where you go in and you get a lovely box that you could bring to your friends," Hall, who spent a six-year stint in Paris, told Havre de Grace Patch when she opened in 2012.

The macaron has risen in popularity in the United States, where the New York Times reports TV show Gossip Girl and O, the Oprah Magazine have featured them.

Still, finding the perfect box proved a bit challenging for Hall, since she wanted something made in the U.S. that could fit six to 12 macarons.

After trying nearly a dozen American companies, Hall found Nashville Wraps would create boxes and bags especially for Les Petits Bisous, according the Tennessee-based gift packaging company, which specializes in eco-friendly products; the boxes are 80 percent recycled material.

The blue and yellow boxes provide a sturdy house and gift-worthy creation for Hall's delicate desserts, which consist of buttercream or ganache sandwiched between meringue wafers.

Like the product itself, Hall said her business is a delicate balance.

“Les Petits Bisous is a very small business," Hall told Nashville Wraps, but "the challenge of not knowing how many customers will come that day is far outweighed by the freedom of doing what I enjoy."

Les Petits Bisous is located at 100 N. Washington St. in Havre de Grace. It's open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday.