Amélie’s French Bakery and Café is Giving Charlotte a Sweet Tooth and Helping Hand
“When I was growing up, people would ask me what Charlotte was like,” Stephanie Haviv, Amélie’s Marketing and Online Customer Service Manager explains. “I used to say, ‘It’s a banking town.’” That all changed in 2008, when Amélie’s opened its original location. Along with a few other coffee shops all opening around same time, Stephanie says that Charlotte finally got “that coffee culture that every quintessential American town has.” Open 24 hours, and serving a myriad of food items including a full French pastry list and various soup, salad, and sandwich treats, Amélie’s generated buzz in Charlotte from the beginning. The thing that kept the buzz going, however, came from its other contributions to the community.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen the sign on the door,” Stephanie inquires, “but we’re a certified safe place, where teenagers and children who feel threatened or abused can come.” Amélie’s entire staff is trained to make sure these individuals are okay and feel safe. Along with that, Amélie’s is a member of the Charlotte business guild for LGBTQ. “We want to be a place where people feel comfortable,” Stephanie explains. “A place where people leave happy.”
Looking toward the future, Amélie’s plans to continue to stick to its values and make community outreach central to its business if it decides to expand to different cities around the country. Stephanie is proud to say that Amélie’s impact will be a positive one, “If we’re in your town, it’s going to be good for everybody.”