Cincinnati’s Macaron Bar has made its way to the Short North for the holiday season. The bakery is operating a pop-up at 668 N. High St., with plans to make it permanent next year.
The Macaron Bar debuted in the Queen City in 2014, specializing in French Macarons. Columbus will be the bakery’s seventh location, with other outposts in Indianapolis, Louisville and Pittsburgh.
Macarons aren’t cooking up in the Short North location just yet. Operating as a hub and spoke bakery – macarons are made in two locations, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and shipped to all other outlets – the Columbus pop-up will be a place to simply buy the sweets.
Macaron Bar will offer assorted two-piece bags and six- and 12-piece boxes of its signature macarons, as well as other gluten-free goodies like amaretti cookies and European meringues. The bakery’s macaron selection gets a seasonal spin, with traditional flavors like Coffee, Vanilla and Pistachio, to the more unique like Apple Pie, Rosemary and Amaretto Cheesecake, available at different times throughout the year.
The pop-up phase will run through at least December 31. And, if possible, sweets selling will continue during the full buildout of the space.
Macaron Bar does plan to make it permanent in Short North, transforming much of the 1,400 square foot storefront that was once home to Fount, into an open-concept kitchen dedicated to macaron baking classes and pairing events.
Macaron Bar Owner Michael Wagner says the company looked at other possible cities for expansion, but Columbus ended up being the ideal place.
“Early on in our search for the perfect retail location in Columbus, we knew that the Short North was the neighborhood that we belonged in,” Wagner says. “This vibrant neighborhood seemed to exemplify the cosmopolitan feel that we tend to establish ourselves in elsewhere. We felt that the Short North offers just the right mix of boutique shops, inspiring restaurants, and chic bars that we fit so perfectly well in.”
The full Macaron Bar experience will make its debut in early 2020. Until then, the pop-up is open Tuesdays – Thursdays from 12 – 7 p.m., Fridays from 12 – 9 p.m., Saturdays from 12- 10 p.m. and Sundays from 12 – 6 p.m.
For more information, visit macaron-bar.com.