The mother-daughter duo of Laura Potter and Lili Adie have found the sweet tooth in Blaine’s downtown. The family-owned L&L Bakery has been serving up tasty pastries, savory quiches, hand-crafted espresso and cakes to-go since opening in 2023.
Potter and Adie moved to Blaine in 1997 when Adie was just three. Potter’s mother had moved here a couple years before because Potter’s stepdad was working for Border Patrol at the U.S./Canada border.
To make ends meet as a single mother, Potter worked for Meals on Wheels in Bellingham and baked cakes on the side.
“When I was 19, I started decorating cakes for the family,” Potter said. “I had a dream that someday we’d have a business.”
At first, they began selling cakes as a home business in 2019 and baked desserts for the former Rustic Fork restaurant in Blaine.
“We thought that opening up the bakery was going to be more of a 10 years down the road thing,” Adie said. “We’ve always had our eye on this place.”
The bakery at 477 Peace Portal Drive is a place where the smell of fresh baked treats wafts comfort over its welcoming environment. Potter and Adie have a passion for nurturing customers with love through their food.
“We’re all doing this with a lot of love in hopes that it’ll bring smiles and happiness to people,” Adie said.
The family received copious amounts of support from local customers and from other local businesses, they said.
“There’s people who come in on a regular basis that we have a relationship with now, and it feels like they’re coming into our living room,” Potter said.
Their goal is to create a space that is more than just a sweet shop. Right now they offer quiche and a bacon cheddar roll as savory options, which they want to grow, along with community involvement.
They recently partnered with Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 to host a paint-and-sip event where L&L provided hot chocolate for the attendees who painted in the bakery.
As a young business, Potter and Adie feel like they are still beginning their journey. There are goals to feed more of Whatcom County, but for now they are happy being Blaine’s family bakery.
“Hopefully it’s something that my grandkids will be able to be a part of one day,” Potter said.
Restaurant recommendation: Potter and Adie recommend that readers try the Nutter Butter, the macarons and for a savory option, the quiche.
This article is part of a series in The Northern Light highlighting Blaine and Birch Bay restaurants.
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