PLATTSBURGH — For Norma J’s regulars, the relocation to its new Margaret Street spot was a month-long blip without their favorite baked goodies.
But for owner Norma Hill, it was years in the making.
“I’ve always wanted to be downtown,” Hill said. “When this space was available, I thought it was perfect.”
HISTORY
The first iteration of Norma’s arrived in Plattsburgh in Skyway Plaza in August 2016.
While there was a large focus on the diner food side of things then, baked goods have been a part of the Norma J’s DNA since the beginning.
“I love to bake; when we were in our original location at Skyway we didn’t have much space for it, and it was just me doing it,” Hill said. “When we moved to (Route 9) was when I decided I wanted to actually really do it.”
And that 7081 Route 9 location served Norma’s well since moving there near the end of 2020, but a downtown bakeshop it was not.
“It was a good warmup for this, but it’s a whole different ballgame here,” Hill said.
THE NEW PLACE
With the move to 92 Margaret this October also came a shift in priority for the restaurant: baking.
“Here, we knew we didn’t want to be a diner,” Hill said. “On Route 9, we tried to be kind of like what we want to be here, but the facilities just didn’t work.”
Not that there won’t be some breakfast staples.
A menu filled with breakfast sandwiches and burritos was crafted by Hill’s son, and head cook, Jordan, with some help from bakers Maria LeClair and Eve Petrashune, something that’s largely been missing from Margaret Street for years.
“That’s what we were hearing, so that was another push to fill that need,” Hill said. “We’ve gotten a bit of flak for not having the sit-down meal option anymore, but then I just direct them to Campus Corner.”
All of the usual Norma J’s baked favorites that regulars have come to know like its pies, pastries and hand-painted sugar cookies are still going to be there, but, with the restaurant’s shift in purpose, the bakers are looking forward to expanding on what they can offer.
“It’s definitely a chance to do more; business has been so steady that we haven’t had a chance to do as much experimentation as we want to do,” Petrashune said. “We’re really excited that the things we have experimented with so far have gone well.”
And with a sweet treat holiday like Christmas rolling around, Petrashune and Hill were sure to remind that the deadline for any custom baked orders needed on the big day is Dec. 20.
EVENTS
The central location in downtown Plattsburgh has also allowed the Norma crew to look at the possibilities of holding events in the space.
“Where we were over on Route 9, it was really hard to feel like a part of the community,” Petrashune said. “Now that we’re finally here, it feels like we’re able to talk to everybody we want to, and get the feedback we want to.”
Those events began yesterday, with a pop-up holiday market featuring local vendors Look at This Stuff, Hardscrabble Heart, and Mel’s Sticker Studio accompanying an ornament decorating session where participants could paint hand-baked (non-edible) gingerbread man ornaments.
Another market and cookie decorating event is scheduled for this coming Friday, Dec. 20, with vendors to be announced. Visit the restaurant’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NormaJsCafeAndBakeShop for up to date information.
“Our other space wasn’t really suitable, but right here, it’s a lot easier for people to walk, or they’re already downtown in the area,” Petrashune said. “I would love to do some art shows here. Maybe open it up to be rentable for people to use for events.”
TRANSITION
While she’ll always be a part of things, once things have gotten a bit more settled at the new place, Hill is hoping to transition away from being there for the day-to-day to, among other things, have more time to visit grandchildren in Georgia.
“Jordan, Maria and Eve have all taken this ball and ran with it, I’m hoping to be able to turn it all over to them and my front end manager Tamson (Reyell),” Hill said. “Eventually, I’m hoping to just be the person who handles the bookkeeping, like their personal accountant, but my name just happens to be on the place.”
And all of the location’s possibilities has the group eager for more.
“We have a lot of creative liberty, and it’s really exciting to look at the potential of how far we can take it,” Petrashune said. “I love baking, but I also love being able to get artists in our community up on our wall, and really mesh into the community.”
Email Ben Watson
bwatson@pressrepublican.com