Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa “Mei Mei” Abdouch.
Hi Melissa “Mei Mei”, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Prior to opening Mei Mei’s, I was an International Finance Liaison for a mutual fund company. I routinely signed multi-billion dollar wires, knew trading and custody laws for dozens of countries, and managed relationships with business partners around the globe. When the company I worked for outsourced our jobs I considered relocating and furthering my career, but opted to change careers entirely instead. The concept for Mei Mei’s didn’t come out of nowhere, or develop overnight. I found myself in the kitchen baking cookies as a form of stress relief. it was my friends who encouraged me to turn it into a business. I thought they were crazy. Now I think they were crazy brilliant! Even on the longest or toughest days, I love what I am doing and the opportunities having a bakery brings me. For example, I have partnered with the University of Minnesota Children’s Masonic Hospital to create custom cookies with oncology patients and donated hundreds of them to the pediatric oncology unit. I did the same for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Honored Heroes. I have been able to collaborate with other local companies to bring meals to patients and caregivers at multiple hospitals in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I have been a guest speaker at schools and on panels in classrooms. Most recently I was an honored speaker at our local Relay for Life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Although I am a third generation entrepreneur, so I was well prepared for the long hours and hard work, it didn’t make it easy. I did all I could to prepare by taking an entrepreneurship course at the local university, a mini MBA certification course, I wrote a business plan, and searched for the perfect space. I even gathered all those same friends who encouraged me to start the business to be my testers for creating new recipes, insisting they be harsh critics if they wanted to continue to receive samples. I found a location and construction began… and so did the struggles. Walls we thought we could knock down were load bearing, tiles tested positive for asbestos, the construction crew stopped showing up, we opened late but finally opened, the printer did not print the address on the coupons we passed out at the parade pre-opening, the A/C wasn’t working and it was August in the midwest… this was all before the doors opened. Once open, the community was excited and welcomed me with open arms. It was terrific!!! I had hired a friend to be lead chef for the first year I was open and he won a few soup cookoffs in town and helped get the word out about the new hot place in town. Things were great. Then the pandemic hit. Only 2 1/2 years in business, still making a name and building my clientele, this could have ended Mei Mei’s for good. But it didn’t!! My rock star staff took safety protocols seriously and worked hard to keep us and our customers safe. I pivoted my business model in what I offered and how it was sold to meet the new demands of the average family in town. I learned a lot that year! Even though the world had mostly recovered, in 2022 I had decided to close Mei Mei’s. I was still losing money. I made the announcement, cried a lot of tears, and my staff found new jobs. It was then, when I no longer had payroll and all the related payroll expenses, that I was able to make ends meet. So I decided to keep things going and have been operating things without staff ever since. This past year I faced an even bigger challenge when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Initially I was in complete denial. I thought I would be able to keep running the business as is and just treat the cancer in the background. HA! Despite the outpouring amount of support from friends to help at the shop, I did have to cut hours and offerings for about 9 months. I am just about back to 100% but have one more surgery to go so you could say the struggles are not quite over. And I am certain there will be others over time. Owning a business is not for the faint of heart.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Technically, I am a business. I own and operate a bakery and cafe that specializes in 1/4 lb cookies and extraordinary soups but I consider myself more of an artist or creative type because I avoid the ordinary and love to create unique cookies and menu items. Even the retro eclectic decor sets me apart from other spaces that are more commercial in nature. There is something to catch your eyes at every turn and your taste buds at every bite. Many retail items I carry are from local makers. A focal point of the decor is a military tribute wall with photos of military men and women dating from the civil war to 1980 on a mural done by a local artist. The restrooms are covered in old 45’s. The floors are pink and purple. I rarely have typical cookie flavors like chocolate chip. My signature cookie is The Tavern Cookie which has dark chocolate, pretzels, and stout from a local brewery. It is salty, sweet, crunchy, and chewy, I love to make cookies that are spicy and sweet like a Caramel Cayenne Pecan Cookie, and colab with other businesses to make custom cookies to sell exclusively at their businesses.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Opening Mei Mei’s is the biggest risk I have ever taken. Although I took all the business related course, I did not have any formal culinary training and I used my retirement to purchase equipment, remodel the space I am leasing, and cover the first year of expenses. Should the business fail for any reason, I will not have any regrets for taking the risk. I have established myself as a strong leader within the community. My bakery has become a safe space for those needing one and a local gem for those passing through. In the 8 years I have been open I have watched families expand, children grow and speak their first words, take their first steps, start and finish school, and even helped cater a few graduations and weddings. Mei Mei’s is a core memory for a lot of people and that is pretty awesome!
Pricing:
- affordable
- reasonable
- free coffee
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meimeiscookies.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/meimeiscookies
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/meimeiscookies
- Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/mei-meis-cookies-and-creamery-river-falls
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@meimeiscookies
