How A Pandemic Hobby Bloomed Into Bakery In A Black LA Neighborhood

Today, Adekoya is taking things one step further by launching her very first brick-and-mortar for Fleurs et Sel. She is really happy and ready.  She feels like she has been ready to make this jump or transition for a while. As you know, it’s not something that’s happened overnight.”

From the time she launched her business, it has grown rapidly over roughly four years.

Fast-forward to the present day, she says there wasn’t a specific incident that encouraged her to open a bakery, but it will be in a historically Black neighborhood in Los Angeles.

She will be opening in West Adams, which is a historically Black neighborhood in LA that has been gentrified, or is being gentrified, which you know everyone has their opinions about gentrification, good and bad.  She states that she is very excited to be opening in a neighborhood that I’m passionate about, hopefully serving the community and Los Angeles community on a greater level.

She is excited to bring an elevated business and be a woman-of-color business owner and have something of my own to share with other people. Location-wise, she went to the University of Southern California (USC), so when she first got to USC, she Googled the nearest Target and it was on Adams, which is the street she’ll be opening up on. It’s serendipitous that she get to open on Adams, which is a neighborhood that she’s familiar with and so close to USC. It just feels like the perfect spot.

Adekoya says she learned what it means to get creative with limited resources while building a business from the ground up. It’s helped her to take Fleurs et Sel to higher heights.

Having started her business during the pandemic she learned what it’s like to bootstrap. She got my packaging at Smart and Final. She made homemade stickers until she could afford real stickers. She feel like she just grew in a smart way and was very aware of her finances. I didn’t splurge on expensive and unnecessary things — even from an ingredient perspective.

She set myself up for success in certain ways that allowed her to be very money-conscious. In terms of revenue, it’s interesting, because there are several bakeries in LA, specifically ones that have closed down. One is called Sweet Lady Jane. They are like a staple. Thirty-five years of business, celebrity favorite, and they made cakes. They closed for business.

With businesses that would be considered competitors closing left and right, she questions herself why she should open one but also why not since she’s been doing so well. 

She states that all of these learnings, revenue aside, have just pushed me to be really smart with my spending because I feel like it’s not even about how much you make, but how much you spend and how you control what goes out.

It was consistent in 2021, 2022, and 2023, but she did see a little dip in the corporate orders in 2023. On the flip side, Adekoya says thanks to support from consistent daily customers, losing those big orders did not have as much of an effect on the business.  

Despite the high bar for baked goods and an influx of other bakeries in the market, Adekoya is confident that she has what it takes to continue taking her business to the top.

When someone walks into her bakery, she wants them to know that it’s more than just a cookie shop. It’s a beautiful space that she hope empowers them to follow their own dreams. It’s an elevated space, and I just wanted to inspire other people to know that beyond the cookies and beyond the bakery, if you have a vision and desire to bring something into fruition you can totally do it because I am living proof.”

Fleurs et Sel is set to open its doors at 12 p.m. (PST) on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 5300 W Adams Blvd Suite 100, Los Angeles CA 90016.