Four years ago, I opened a small vegan café in Montreal, Muscade, with my partners Lola and Melyssa. And the day before yesterday, I announced that we were selling it.
I haven't talked much about Muscade on the blog, mostly in Instagram stories because it has been my daily life for these four years. I spent my workdays in the kitchen, preparing pastries, sandwiches, dishes, grocery products, and other homemade treats. It was fulfilling in that aspect. But much less in others, and that's why I'm ready for a change.
We opened three months before the pandemic, on December 7, 2019. We never experienced a "normal" moment, if that exists. Each year, we had to make decisions to reinvent our business and cope. They weren't bad decisions, because they allowed us to have a somewhat profitable business that continued to attract more and more customers. But it's not for me. This isn't who I am.
As we had to grow to meet demand, we expanded the space, took a second location, and hired colleagues. Muscade became too "big" for me, even though it's still a small business.
I discovered that I simply don't enjoy being responsible for a team, for employees. We had an incredible team, we were always very lucky in that regard, but that responsibility weighed on me.
And to be honest, I had trouble understanding my feelings, I didn't feel legitimate. I often repeated, "but why do I feel this way when nothing is wrong?"
It's true, we don't owe money to the bank, I'm not left with nothing, I have time to work on Patate & Cornichon, I usually worked only four days a week at Muscade and I love my job, I have great people around me. "I don't want to complain, NOTHING IS WRONG."
But I understood that wasn't the core issue. The issue is that Muscade exists, that Muscade is open seven days a week, that the team feels good, that customers are happy, have choices, that the equipment works, that payments are made, that suppliers deliver what we ordered, that we have no unsold products... that everything runs smoothly. And there are moments when everything runs smoothly, and moments when it doesn't.
And an entrepreneur lives by these ups and downs, and I no longer want to live by these ups and downs, so I want to change careers :)
My initial vision was to stay small. Just the first location without expanding, me in the kitchen, my partners as baristas, that's all. Low overhead, even if it meant closing a few days a week to rest. I'm not the right person to grow a business and take financial risks. I'm happy to know that today, it's good to know your limits.
Muscade is being bought by the company Cocooning Love, which is a brand of vegan cosmetics made in the same neighborhood. It will remain a vegan café in addition to a store for their cosmetics.
The founder, Carole, with whom I've had several meetings during the selling process and whom I admire a lot, is a very inspiring entrepreneur. I wish I could be as enduring in business, but I'm not, and that's okay!
Through Instagram messages, several of you mentioned you also own a café or restaurant and are considering selling or not. I can only share my experience, which is surely different from yours, but I know I won't regret selling Muscade. It's been an amazing but difficult professional experience that I want to stop doing something else, so it's healthy, and it's a great privilege to be able to stop when I want.
To finish, I'll answer the most frequently asked questions:
- My future plans: I want to move to the countryside if I can, with my partner! We're really excited! Maybe write a second volume of my book "les bonnes choses"... and slow down a bit.
- Am I upset with my partners? 😅 I was surprised to receive this question multiple times, but no, not at all! Why would we be upset? We love each other so much. When we have a dispute, it's about a specific issue and lasts 20 minutes, afterward we apologize and talk it out. We're mostly excited to see each other outside of a work context.
- Will you be able to continue ordering my cakes? No, I won't have a location anymore and I want to change my life, so I don't wish to continue making cakes on order, maybe in the future in the countryside, but it's not a plan, same for cooking classes. But I thank you so much for the support, it's so kind!
- Do I have any regrets? It's more a slight feeling of unfinished business, over details I didn't manage to accomplish, repainting the facade in our colors, organizing brunches, offering a broader range of pastries... But it's not regret!
The last day to come see me at Muscade is September 30th. Many of you have come to see me thanks to following this blog, and I am infinitely grateful for that! We've often had visits from France, sometimes I even signed autographs in my book for you... so thank you thank you thank you.