Ladurée welcomed into Vancouver with open arms and wallets
Line-up for macaron bakery and tea salon at least 2 hours long
Hundreds of macaron lovers clamoured to lineup for the grand opening of Ladurée in Vancouver.
The Paris-based bakery and cafe's arrival on Robson Street is its Canadian debut.
Been open since noon, here's the current line <a href="https://twitter.com/MaisonLaduree">@MaisonLaduree</a> on Robson <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LadureeVancouver?src=hash">#LadureeVancouver</a> <a href="https://t.co/qipcXpe57D">pic.twitter.com/qipcXpe57D</a>
—@LienY"Oh my gosh, more than two hours!" said Salve Molenou about the lineup.
But both she and her fiance were more than happy to oblige.
"Try something new right? Even though we haven't been to Paris yet, we can at least try it here," she said.
It was music to the ears of store owners.
"Since the first moment that I fell in love with Ladurée, I always wanted to shared a piece of Paris and bring it here," said Vancouver businesswoman Olesya Krakhmalyova.
"I've never questioned Vancouver being the first city."
Krakhmalyova's company, Vivat Enterprises, is the Canadian partner that brought the French brand into the city. She said it saw Vancouver's potential as a growing luxury market.
The store sells macarons for at least $3 CAD each.
For the launch, it introduced a maple syrup macaron in its roster of 17 flavours which range from Marie Antoinette tea to strawberry candy "guimauve".
Those who want to place their macarons in limited edition, collectible, Easter-themed boxes will be charged extra.
None of it seemed to faze the throngs of people who walked away with boxes upon boxes of the little treats.
Krakhmalyova is hoping to bring Ladurée to Toronto next.