Muftuna Rakhimova’s coffee is getting cold.
The owner, 28, of the new Bakery on Fifth, 502 State St., has been trying to drink a hot cup since opening Feb. 1, but hasn’t gotten the chance because the line at the counter has been out the door.
“So busy,” she said, when asked how things were going. “It’s been overwhelming. Oh, my God, pastries are flying. That makes me happy.”
The former design engineer returned to her home in Erie after being laid off at the end of a project in New England. She took a look at the space vacated by the former Starbucks and decided she wanted to share the sweets and beverages of her Middle Eastern culture with, well, the rest us.
Turkish coffee, pastries are a hit
Her husband, Kasgar Rakhimova’s construction business did all the remodeling, she said, during a brief moment sitting with a cup of black coffee. She soon set down the coffee and headed back over the counter because the line was growing again, despite four people working the register, making coffee and tea and boxing up both Turkish and French baked goods.