WEST LEBANON — PowerHouse Mall manager Heather Jennings can’t remember the last time the building has had a cafe.
The closest thing to one was a deli that she and her parents would visit on shopping trips in the ’80s and ’90s.
“We’ve been waiting for coffee in the mall for a very long time,” she said.
Mall patrons need not wait much longer.
Come spring, the owners of bakery and cafe Splendid Bakes are planning to open their doors on the mall’s first floor.
“What we’re bringing is the home-feel. Come in and stay; come in and hang out,” said Ligia Banks, who lives in Woodstock.
Ligia and her husband Ed Banks ran Splendid Bakes out of a storefront at 4 The Green, next to the Norman Williams Public Library, for about three years until December, when their landlord Eva Douzinas opted not to renew the lease.
Douzinas, who is the president of The Rauch Foundation, which is headquartered at 4 The Green, has plans to develop the property into The Fulcrum, a shared workspace for nonprofits and entrepreneurs.
“The goal is to create a centrally located place for collaboration and community engagement within the historic building,” she said in an email.
In addition to running The Rauch Foundation, which invests in projects related to global food systems and students’ financial literacy, Douzinas also owns the 69 Pleasant St property where Woodstock doughnut shop Farmer and the Bell is based.
Originally from a rural part of São Paulo state, in Brazil, Ligia Banks grew up watching her mother and grandmother cook everything from scratch.
“We never had a boxed cake for any of our birthday cakes,” she said.
She and her husband moved from Massachusetts to Woodstock after falling in love with the area while visiting friends. They were enamored with its “history, with the small town vibe,” and wanted to raise their kids where they’d have access to nature, she said.
As an adult, baking was something she could do while taking care of her two daughters, now ages 11 and 8.
She’d deliver her creations to her friends and soon the requests began to multiply until she had enough momentum to start a business.
When it comes to her bakes, Ligia Banks, 43, aims to “find a balance between super sweet and tart” flavors.
“I don’t like my cakes super, super sweet,” she said.
At the same time, she’s had to learn to bake for an American palette.
“In Brazil, we don’t eat buttercream, so that was something I had to learn to work here because it’s the American taste.”
Instead, it’s common to use whipped cream on the cake’s inside and exterior, a style that she still uses on some of her desserts at Splendid Bakes.
The bakery’s cake flavors range from maple walnut to carrot, gingerbread and lemon, among others.
Splendid Bakes will open in the location formerly occupied by Country Kids Clothing and the space next to it. Country Kids closed last summer after the store’s owner chose to retire, following 13 years in business.
“We … look forward to working with the Banks to reopen the beautiful patio area that connects to their new space and that overlooks the river,” Jennings said in an email.
The Banks are still working on acquiring the necessary permitting from the city, but the plan is to offer baked goods and cakes, drip coffee and espresso drinks and lunch options such as sandwiches, paninis and salads as well as a place to sit and relax during a shopping trip to the mall.
Ligia Banks and Jennings declined to disclose the cost to lease the space in the mall.
Two retail spaces in the mall still remain vacant, including a 600-square-foot space next to Something Sweet, the candy store on the first floor.
Splendid Bakes will likely be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to mirror the hours of the mall, Ligia Banks said.
The couple plan to hire a few employees to help staff the store.
“We’re very, very excited. We can’t wait,” she said.