A Goderich institution will soon be opening a second location in London.
Culbert's Bakery will be bringing its famous cream puffs to the Covent Garden Market on King Street. It will be taking over the space vacated by Pastry Culture.
Owner Madelaine Lambert, who took over the bakery in 2022, said it's a great opportunity to go somewhere that the name already carries weight.
"We're super excited about it, we think that London is a great location for this. We know that a lot of our customers are from London, people either have second homes or cottages or come to visit Goderich frequently. So we already know that our brand recognition is alive and well there."
The bakery has over 150 years of history at it's current location on West Street just off the Courthouse Square. Yet in all that time, expansion has never come up.
Lambert said she wasn't focused on a new shop either, but after looking at how to get their offerings in some nearby markets, the opportunity arose and it was too good to pass up.
She is trying to put the mind of Goderich locals at ease, saying the new spot will honour the bakery's century and a half in operation.
"The main feedback from locals with this expansion is that they're like, 'Ya, we're happy for you' but they don't really want to share. I think they're feeling like, 'We hope that our cute, historical bake shop isn't just going to be exploited to all the big cities,' and we totally understand that," she said.
"The intention is to pay homage to the Goderich location and make sure that our branding has that historical element to it. We're not just going to pop up a shop with no historical significance to Goderich. All of our signage, all of our branding, ties back to that location and the rich history it offers."
Lambert adds that the flavours will remain the same too.
"When we took over, we got hands on training by the previous owner. Then we got videos made of methods baking specific to the items, so we have a catalogue of recipes and baking methods that are being transferred to the London location. And all of our staff there have had hands on training at the Goderich location."
The new location will operate on the market's hours, meaning it will be open seven days a week.
There's no official opening date yet, as work is still being done to get a fryer hooked up. However, Lambert is hopeful they'll be up and running next month.