April Showers Bring May Flowers

My old copies of my favourite books..stacked beneath "How to be a Domestic Goddess" by Nigella Lawson

April is my favourite month of the year because of the following:

a) It is my Birthday month :)

b) I am constantly reminded of the Teenage Workbook: the passing of April showers by Adrian Tan. As much as it was a book of the 1980s, I fondly recalled a particular scene where the two main protagonists danced to a 1950 Al Jonson’s classic song called ”April Showers”.

"Here's a thought that we should never miss: Though April showers May come your way, They bring the flowers That bloom in May; And if it's raining, Have no regrets; Because, it isn't raining rain, you know, It's raining violets" - Al Jonson “

April showers bring May flowers” is a reminder that even the most unpleasant of things, in this case the heavy rains of April, can bring about very enjoyable things indeed – in this case, an abundance of flowers in May. It is a lesson about patience an endurance. Qualities that remains valid to this day...

I got thinking about how our small business has prospered into something beautifully tangible. Despite our initial success, maintaining a constant patronage and brand awareness have been a challenge due to our cul-de-sac location. Such quote only strengthened me as a business owner, that at even the most difficult setback, one has to persevere for things that you truly believe in. We seek to improve ourselves, when difficulties arise, innovate and renovate.

This month of April, our Easter rendition of the Easter Rabbit include pastel coloured macaroons, flowered cupcakes, rabbit & egg sugar cookies. We continue to participate in Potato Head Easter Sunday Food Market Edition on the 17th April and possibly another "big but undisclosed" curated market event (details will follow) at the end of the month.

Our head pastry chef, Elaine Marlene is also holding "Cupcake & Cookies Workshop" at the following times:

Days: *Thursdays and Fridays 1:30-3:00pmor 5:00-6:30pm; Saturdays* 10:00-11:30am Fee: Rp.115,000 nett (Includes- Equipment, ingredients, cookies, cupcakes, and packaging.)

As always, our Easter sweet packages are also available for catering orders. Menu is attached below.

Have a wonderful Easter celebration and a Happy Birthday to me!

Love, R

In this month of Love....

"Infatuation is the spark that ignites the engine. Love is the one that keeps it going"

- C.S. Lewis -

The love month of February started with Lunar New Year followed by Valentine's day. We are marking our inaugural 'debutante' in Jakarta by participating in Potato Head's Valentine's Day Sunday Food Market. Our available selections include carrot cakes, macaroons, fruit tarts, chocolate brownies and red velvet cupcakes. Stock up on our delectable treats for your family, friends and your significant others.

We hope to see you guys in Potato Head this Sunday, 13th Feb 2011 !
For more information or reservation, please call +62 21 5797 33 22 (http://www.ptthead.com/)

An inch closer towards that dream...

Disclaimer: EM has strictly forbid us post any renovation updates. I have opt for other means otherwise.....

Aren't these pretty?

On Monday, we have officially started training our in-store servers (ladies & gentlemen, please meet Ahmad and Ragil :), who will be the constant faces present in our store), getting feedbacks on their past service experiences and also educating them about the history of Bittersweet. From their bright faces, they seem to be beaming in excitement in our product tasting sessions, which will be held this coming week. Our personal assistant, Asri kept on saying "I can't wait till we are finally open..."...oh on some other random notes, we also managed to scout some antiques during our recent supplies&decor trip to Singapore...so goodie good!

I guess things have come a long way since we started putting our dreams into reality since July this year. Still, there are many odds and ends that we need to resolve (like fixing that tiny downlights) but, we are pinching ourselves that this will become into a reality. We are grateful and blessed that despite the shortcomings all of us have faced, we are seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel. Thought that I would quote Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) movie before he escaped from the prison that "hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies".

I hope that this store will be a wonder...

18 days till opening...and counting...

Not a shoulda coulda woulda...

This image was an inspiration of the table
setting for our store

Apologies for the long hiatus, EM, MK and myself have been busy finalizing our interior renovation of Bittersweet Corner, coming up with the company logo, finalising our lease & tenant agreements, getting knick knacks for the store from Bali, Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. On the latter, it certainly is a blessed privilege that all of us have been given the opportunity to go on mini frequent travels ever since we were young, however the Bittersweet Corner quest to find the perfect vases, flowers, shrubs and cake stands proved to be quite a challenge! On another note, we have finished our recruiting process and selected a team of wonderfuly trained & experienced staff, who will be able to educate you guys on what will be in store in Bittersweet Corner. Btw, we are now counting down to exactly one month till we open in mid-November!!

Aside from us running around all over the place (well, I am more likely behind my desk analysing Bittersweet Corner's Business Plan budget and planning), I recently came across a cupcake blog, which inspired me to write this blog entry. Sheryl has relentlessly started from an online cupcake store, turning it into a breathtaking retail store in Melbourne. Her dreams, thoughts and fears are something that I share when I embark on this amazing journey with EM and MK. I have only been introduced to EM last year in February over an Italian dinner, before MK mentioned that I have a bit of a sweet tooth and secretly dreaming of running my own dessert cafe. EM gushed excitedly about how she has been providing catering service in Boston outside of her school hours. This pretty girl initially wanted to embark in a career in the US of A, however she put off such decision to continue her passion in baking under her already-well-known Bittersweet brand. So, a year flew by, EM graduated (much to her relief) and settled in Jakarta for good three months ago. It was rather timely as well that a mutual friend had a small 20-sqm space in Plaza Indonesia, which she would wish to sub-let. We couldn't be happier that Bittersweet Corner is our first project! All of us have been inseparable (literally and metaphorically), continuing updating each other on our vision and mission.

Personally, I have been losing sleep doing market research, updating Excel model, keeping track of our investment budget and worrying about how can we streamline our and management for Bittersweet. I took a further step to learn about social media marketing through MK, but the biggest dare was braving myself to speak to small cafe owner in Subang Kuala Lumpur, with a retail store called Whisk KL. I learnt about Nora K's passion which started from "I couldn't find a decent coffee shop where I can relax and read my books, like those I found in New York (she was previously from Parson School of Design)". Let's just say that her little thought had blossomed into something picturesque...

There has been times when I shut my alarm in the morning, I drift back to a short snooze with my mind trailing over the thought "Is this all worth it? Climbing the corporate ladder seems to be much easier". Friends say I am a pessimistic, but throughout Bittersweet setting up process, I can only share that this has spurred my entrepreneurial spirit, which may have been locked up in some dark abyss within me. I was worried of taking the plunge, but I guess any business is like a relationship - there is much to learn to love and to be hurt. You can always pick yourself up if you fall because it is the experience that counts. I believe I have been blessed with amazing partner (and friends) such as EM and MK. They have been inspiring people, which made me realise my own shortcomings.

So, thank you, Sheryl for your inspirations. I believe that like her Cupcake Central, Bittersweet Corner will bring many smiling faces and satisfying tummy strokes. So folks, we shouldn't dwell on the Shoulda Woulda Coulda...because everything is within your reach...

Till we speak again...toodles~