The Cheese Lady opens up shop in Texas Corners

More than 60 cheeses from nearby and around the world will be for sale when The Cheese Lady opens her doors in Texas Corners.

Soft, semi-soft and hard cheeses, fine aged cheeses, cheeses from goat, sheep and cows all will be for sale, along with crackers, baguettes, nuts and just about anything else that could go along with cheese.

Natalie St. Louis says her store will have a selection of grocery items and free trade baskets suitable for gifts.

The 800-square-foot store at 7035 West Q Ave. shares a retail center with Dave’s Glass on the southwest corner of Q Ave. and 8th Street. St. Louis says the shop’s warm colors gives it the feel of an old world European market combined with a bistro.

The business got its start in the Can-Do Kitchen, connected with local food advocates Fair Food Matters. It is the second business to graduate from the business incubator.

St. Louis says she built her clientelle over the summer at the Texas Corners Farmers Market, where she developed a following that encouraged her to open a shop that could be open year round. She sold her goods at the market on a fill-in basis and often came close to selling out her products. And there were requests for her cheeses on the weekends when she could not be there.

 “People kept asking, ‘Where’s the Cheese Lady?’ I’ve gotten a lot of support and a good following,” St. Louis says. “That gave me the incentive to open the shop.”

St. Louis also learned about the business from Michigan’s first Cheese Lady in Muskegon. She turned to Kathleen Riegler as a mentor and ended up deciding to become a franchisee.

Initially, St. Louis will staff the store herself with assistance from her father, Terry St. Louis. Store hours are 10 a.m. to  p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. The shop is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Natalie St. Louis, The Cheese Lady