A new family atmosphere at the Market

When the pandemic closed Jordana Woodland’s store almost a year and a half ago, she used her downtime during quarantine to develop a new concept for Le Marché, a cafe and clothing store in Whitefish.

Woodland never reopened at the store’s old Second Street location and instead opened the redeveloped Central Avenue store more than a year later, adding twice the square footage.

Le Marché, which means “the market” in French, opened in early May, but this time Woodland wanted to put more emphasis on the coffee aspect while offering ice creams, sorbets, pastries and also adding a space for children.

“Everyone loved the coffee and the concept we were trying to create,” said Woodland. “So our idea of ​​having a woman who could go shopping with her kids, have coffee and sit with friends, that was the concept.”

With a background in the fashion industry, Woodland previously sold products from its loungewear and lingerie line, Naked Princess. But as she developed the store’s new concept, she launched LBLC, a new casual clothing line, in September, which she sells in-store and wholesale at 85 stores, including Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s.

But Woodland expanded the cafe, called Boudoir Bar, and reduced the stock of clothing. She sells gifts like candles and cosmetics in the new store, and her vision is more focused on a family atmosphere.

“When we found this place, we thought, what can we do to make it suitable for families? ”Said Woodland. “I was trying to fill a void in what I thought the community needed.”

The Market uses Stumptown coffee, and Woodland has a European-style menu at Le Boudoir, including Vietnamese coffee, a sweet espresso drink with condensed milk that takes five minutes to prepare. The store also specializes in ice cream with eight flavors that change daily and pastries rarely offered by other local bakeries, including biscotti, empanadas and pop pies, some of which are gluten and sugar free.

“We try as much as possible to not only support the locals, but also not to have competing businesses and to have pastries that no one else has,” said Woodland.

The Marketplace will also feature live music with plans to host two to four events per month, and Woodland recently hosted a business networking event for women.

Woodland also opted to have late hours at the store, closing only at 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

“People want to go somewhere late at night that isn’t a loud bar,” Woodland said. “It’s so nice to see that families have a place to go. They come here right after dinner for ice cream. It is a safe place.

Woodland plans to expand the food menu in the future and has also considered opening a second location in Flathead Valley.

“From concept to design, we really wanted to do something different,” said Woodland. “We spent a lot of time bringing something to town that no one else had. “

The Market will host its grand opening on June 26, with live music, face painting and activities for the kids.

For more information visit www.lemarchebynp.com.