GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Chartreuse Sisters opened on Wealthy Street in January. The french-inspired patisserie features fusion drinks and desserts.
The co-owners, Mallory and Alyson Caillaud-Jones, spent years renovating a historical building for the space in a former drug store.
For a while, business was booming, and the sisters say the concept was well received from the community.
Then, three months after opening, Alyson broke her leg in two spots. She had to have surgery, and had to take a break from the business for ten weeks.
Alyson is the head of beverage, meaning half of their business concept was put on hold.
"It felt very surreal," said Mallory, "because not only did half the business kind of come to a halt, but also I was used to working with her every single day and she just wasn't able to be here for ten weeks. The Chartreuse sisters without my sister... it was just me doing pastries."
The beverage program was shut down, straining the business financially. Now, they are fundraising to help keep the business in the community.
"I think that it's really difficult to ask for help in general," said Alyson, "It took us a while to decide to do this. Honestly, we're going back and forth about it. And finally, when we had enough people say, 'just ask for help, your community wants you to here, we want to see you succeed,' we're like, 'Okay, let's try it.' And it's gotten really emotional, because it's like, you know, it's a big deal."
If you'd like to help, you can visit the Chartreuse Sister's GoFundMe page here.
RELATED VIDEO: New French-American fusion café opening in Grand Rapids
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.