From the original woodwork, whimsical décor and colorful pies, newly opened Seattle Pie Co. has added a unique and simplicity to Magnolia.
"The biggest thing is we're just trying, in our own little way, to make things simple again," said Patrick Lewis, who opened the pie shop with his wife, Alyssa. "It kind of takes you back in time, to a different world."
Before stepping into the bakery café, aromatic strands of fruit pie drift out the door, and inside there are no traces of the bland real estate office that used to occupy the space. The tables built by the couple-like everything else in the bakery café-are hand painted with the colors of peaches and watermelons, just a small showcase of the bakery's spunk.
And customers were not in short supply for the opening day last Sunday. All 75 pies baked for the opening were gone by the end of the day, and by 2 p.m. there had been more than 100 customers. The owners were thrilled with the opening day turnout, chiming, "We found heaven."
"It's exciting when your dream comes true," Alyssa Lewis said. "It's been incredible, so busy, and sort of like chaos, but no complaints. It's a blast."
Patrick and Alyssa Lewis recently moved to Magnolia, with their three sons, to open Seattle Pie Co., though this isn't the first venture into the world of fruits, creams and crusts for her. Throughout high school and college, she worked at Snohomish Pie Co. and developed a passion for pie making.
"Why pie?" she asked. "In the Seattle area you have just about everything, except pie. I really believe it's a lost art, and everyone loves pie."
But apart from a passion for pie, the pair's love for each other was a driving force for opening the bakery café. And after three months of tearing the place apart, installing the floor, painting ceiling tiles and carrying 300-pound slabs of granite together, there's no love lost between the two.
"We do this because we love each other," he said. "It's a love story really ... Why shouldn't it be a love story?"
And if love is contagious, the community's caught it. From words like "delightful" and "lovely" Magnolia clientele have embraced the company with forks in hand. From Swedish pancakes, which were a hit on opening day, according to the couple, to classic deli sandwiches, and of course, fruit and cream pies, there was a lot to choose from. Pies will also be sold wholesale to the Thriftway grocery store at 34th Avenue West, and they're made fresh every day, with all natural ingredients-no preservatives allowed.
Though it's been a whirlwind, and the two have spent more time baking pies than sleeping of late, they remain ecstatic about meeting their neighbors and spreading the love.
"It's amazing how much they've embraced us. The welcome mat was like a red carpet," Patrick Lewis said. "We're just really excited to meet all the people; we really want to be part of the community."[[In-content Ad]]
