Crepes Come to Midtown, Harrisburg!

“We love to make crepes for the city that loves to eat them.” – Bon Appetit Creperie.

Midtown, Harrisburg came alive recently with the new addition of Bon Appetit Creperie, conveniently located inside of the Broad Street Market. But the catch – after roughly five months inside the market, they’re already days away from opening their second location at 1426 N. 3rd St. 

What exactly does this mean for Harrisburg, Historic Midtown specifically, in terms of growth and what’s to come? 

Shawket and Lala, husband and wife, and owners of Bon Appetit Creperie, originally both from West Africa, moved to the Harrisburg area nearly a year ago with the intention of living in a “bigger” city. They lived in York, PA when they decided to make this move, so the term “bigger” seems relative. But I lingered on the thought of outsiders seeing Harrisburg as more than a resting point between larger known PA cities Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Growing up in Mali, a French-colonized country, Lala experienced crepes regularly. And as you can likely tell, introducing them to her husband went over pretty well. But why share their love of crepes with Harrisburg specifically? 

  After making the move here, they saw potential in opening a creperie at Broad Street Market and began working on plans to do so. If Shawket and Lala could see the potential this city has to offer after living here for a few months, what does that mean for the influx of residents this city could soon welcome? 

It’s no surprise that urban living is on the rise, in fact, a recent surge of young and educated professionals moving into urban areas has matched rates last seen in the 1970s. Seeing our city of Harrisburg show strides in this direction makes for a special recipe. Some might say that recipe tastes like a Sea Master or Campfire crepe – two of Shawket’s favorite items on their menu 😉

After continually hearing people talk about the recent revival in Harrisburg and the market specifically, it became time to check off the next item on the list for Shawket and Lala – open their own storefront. Thanks to the support from this growing city and two people who like to think big and continually squeeze more out of every opportunity, they settled on a storefront down the street from Broad Street Market. The perk – this location will remain open all week!

 With a growing passion for Harrisburg, and small businesses of course, I asked what advice they might offer to new business seekers: “Go for it. There’s always apprehension and a little bit of fear. We both had that going into it, but you never know until you try. Success isn’t for a particular person or business, it’s for whoever’s willing to work hard and give it a shot.”

I think it’s safe to say this attitude has allowed Harrisburg to rise like it has. With a mix of good people and good businesses working together, Shawket and Lala see a lot of potential coming in the next few years.

With a customer demographic ranging from 2 to 80-years old, a friendly “let me be a part of this” environment, and encouragement to try something new, it wouldn’t surprise me if their new creperie became the go-to spot in town. 

Take it from me, I’m already planning out who I can introduce to a Bon Appetit crepe next.