Shabby Chic Expands Its Reach

When Lisa Desrochers first had a brand new Shabby Chic kiosk erected in the Mall at Rockingham Park, she received an unexpected surprise from her earliest visitors.

The mini cupcake shop, an exact replica of the one in Windham right down to the pastel color scheme and trademark treats, was missing a Shabby Chic sign to identify itself to shoppers. 

It didn’t matter. According to Desrochers, people still recognized the look and feel of the niche local business.

Sign or not, they knew Shabby Chic had expanded it’s presence.

“It was probably one of the coolest things for me to experience,” said Desrochers. “They recognized the actual kiosk and the cakes. We built the kiosk to mimic the shop. We built it that way on purpose so it would look just like the shop (in Windham) so that when you walk by the kiosk you would feel like you’re at Shabby Chic.” 

Desrochers said that she finds the mall to be the perfect venue to branch out her business. She said that no advertising really needs to be done, as people see the place right when they stroll out of Macy’s.

“10 million people pass through the mall on a daily basis,” said Desrochers. 

It’s a big leap from where she began, opening the Windham shop in Cobbett's Pond Plaza almost exactly three years ago to the date. But the opening of what can now be called the original Shabby Chic didn’t come with any reservations from Desrochers. She was confident that it would succeed. 

Three years, over half-a-dozen major media visits and hundreds of gourmet cupcakes later, her Salem location isn’t causing any reservations either. 

“I felt like it was a good spot (and a) good location,” said Desrochers. “We had already perfected our product.” 

That award-winning product has morphed into dozens of different forms during Shabby Chic’s tenure as Desrochers has worked with her staff to conceptualize multiple flavors and varieties. 

It’s a never-ending process that changes with the seasons. This season, it’s a chocolate and peppermint prototype to rope in the York Peppermint Pattie lovers of the universe. Caramel candy cane is also on the menu.

Four months ago it was Pina Colada. Six months ago it was a fruity key lime creation.

Believe it or not, on Black Friday, it was maple and bacon savory breakfast treats.

If everything sounds very calculated to the calendar it is. Desroshers said that that everyone on staff participates to decide what goes on sale. But that doesn’t mean they scoff at mistakes at Shabby Chic.

“One day we were making a lemon cupcake and the baker had forgot to put the eggs in the batter,” said Desrochers. “When it came out it was very crumbly. We started to taste them and they were fabulous. We crumbled them up and put them over our lemon gelato and called it lemon crumble.”

Now Desrochers has a whole new level of organization to worry about. It started with nearly tripling her employees from about a dozen to over 30. Some of those staffers stay at the Windham location. Others facilitate operations at the mall kiosk, which has only been open since Oct. 15. 

Desrochers said she mostly stays in Windham, but heads to Rockingham at night to check on what sold and what didn’t. Sometimes it can just come down to the weather.

“When it’s a rainy, lousy day here we know that the mall is going to be busy whereas our shop will be slower, so we’ve had to kind of watch those trends,” said Desrochers.

She is also working very hard to establish the brand of her product. She wants to steer clear from becoming a “neon lights” type of chain, preferring to be more like another local chain that many New Hampshire residents are all too familiar with.

“I don’t want to be the next McCupcake,” said Desrochers. “I think a perfect example is The Common Man. They’re still a hometown feel kind of a restaurant yet they’re a small chain. If I had to hand-pick anything I would like to be like I think I’d be more like them.”

For that to come to fruition, Desrochers know it’s going to be a long process of more 15 or 16 hours days, constantly helping her business grow. She already has plans for more expansion, possibly in Massachusetts. She wants to see how her operation in Salem works out, but there are ideas brewing on a third location. 

“We have some other venues we’re exploring that we’d like to see happen in early spring,” said Desrochers.

For a woman who calls her original Windham shop a “destination” site, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the word is spreading like wildfire. Folks have traveled from the Canadian border and Cape Cod, just to get a taste.

Even though Desrochers said her old job was very fulfilling, she said that her current position fills another need.

“This is definitely a happy job," said Desrochers. “People walk away and they smile when they see (Shabby Chic). Some faces when they walk through the door – it’s just awesome to see.”