Irene Was the Icing to Sweet Gifts' Bitter End [VIDEO]

Keith Elliott needed pastries for 100 people for an upcoming event at the Masonic Lodge. So, he popped into , a small family-run business in downtown Attleboro, to place his order on Thursday.

"I knew this place opened up recently and wanted to help and support a local business," Elliott said.

What he didn't realize was that Sweet Gifts' owner was cleaning up the shop that day, and preparing to closing the doors forever.

"It's not good," Elliott said when told of the news by owner Patty Lamarre. "It's not good for our community at all. It really goes to show what times are like now."

Costly Rehab

There were many factors that forced Lamarre and her daughter Kristy Pelletier, 23, to end their entrepreneurial dream.

"This was suppose to be for my daughter," Lamarre said. "This was her future."

Lamarre, her husband and Pelletier put their sweat and more than $5,000 into renovating the entire place with counters, fresh paint and new floors. When she took over the small space at 63 Park St. in August 2010, she said she found it to be a mess.

"That's where I made my biggest mistake," she said of putting so much time and money into renovating the space. 

Not Enough Support

Some of the work Lamarre was forced to do in order to be in compliance with building codes. Some of the work and money spent on it, however, was not necessary, she said. 

"The rules they have are absolutely ridiculous," she said. "They made me spend so much money on things that I wasn't ever going to use including a grease trap.

"They think I was going to fry food here," she said. "We baked and that was it."

Lamarre said it wasn't the city's fault she had to close shop, but said they could have provided more information about grant programs including the federal , which helped fund the opening of . 

"Some people at were nice and helpful," she said. "Others were there to make my life miserable. They'll answer questions, but don't give you information unless you ask. I paid $2,500 for the sign (awning) and no one told me about grants."

Attleboro Planning Director Gary Ayrassian said while they did sit down with one of the Sweet Gifts owners to discuss the program, it was the landlord that was not willing to work with the business owner and the city on a grant program.

"We were excited they were moving in," Ayrassian said. "We talked with them about start-up assistance and the façade. The landlord wasn’t cooperating."

It didn't end with planning.

At one point, Lamarre said she asked to add a table and chairs in the establishment, but was told that she would have to add a public restroom, which would cost thousands.

"I wanted to do things to make it better, but my hands were tied either financially or because of the city's rules," she said.

Parking and the downtown not being pedestrian friendly were also issues because, according to Lamarre, the city does not do enough to promote parking in the back lots behind and Sweet Gifts.

After the initial reporting of Sweet Gifts' closing, several Attleboro neighbors posted comments on the story about the need for improved parking downtown.

Jennifer Keating wrote that the closure was "too sad."

"I wish I had popped in more often to support them- but I agree with the others: for downtown to prosper, there needs to be a solution to the heavy, pressing traffic flow there and parking difficultie," Keating wrote. "I'll make it a point now to support the businesses remaining, like Scorpio's."

A Sweet Start and Bitter End

Business was good for the first several months. The United Regional Chamber of Commerce threw a party for Lamarre. Employees from nearby businesses stopped in to buy sweet treats and gifts.

On a good day, the shop served four customers. Things began to slow down during the summer months and then there was Hurricane Irene. Sweet Gifts was one of the that did not have power for days after Irene.

"I had a refrigerator full of stuff," she said. "We lost $1,000 in products."

Lamarre tried to get her insurance provider to cover the loss, but was denied. That put the small business owner even further behind.

"I couldn't financially carry it anymore," she said.

In order to keep the shop open, the family tried to bring in a partner and had many prospects. The problem, however, was those who had the time didn't have the financial means and those who had the financial means didn't have the time to dedicate to the business.

One friend, who asked to remain anonymous, volunteered her time at the shop three days a week just to help keep the store open. The volunteer had been laid off recently and wanted to help Lamarre on the days she was not taking classes at a local school.

Lamarre said she told city officials about her struggles, but that she doesn't think there was anything the city could have done about it. At one point she considered taking out another loan, but said "we didn't do anything because it's always a rigmarole. So we said forget about it."

Lamarre, a full-time nurse, will continue in her current job and her daughter is now working for another bakery.

"We tried, a tearful Lamarre said this week, as a friend consoled her. "We really tried."