After building a loyal following one pastry at a time, Coucou Bakehouse is preparing to open its first permanent storefront at 1163 Fulton St. later this summer, giving fans a place to call home.
What started as a pop-up favorite has quickly become one of the area’s most talked-about food spots — and now, owner Joy Shin is taking the next big step.
“Coucou began as a passion project out of my tiny one-bedroom apartment in January of 2024,” Shin wrote on Kickstarter. “I was working at a school at the time, and what started as an after-work hobby/side gig became something bigger than I ever expected. After my first-ever pop-up at Zabház, I began reaching out to different cafes and small shops in Grand Rapids, asking if I could pop up out of their space. As the pop-ups quickly gained momentum, I began to work 30+ hours on top of my full-time job just to make enough for a couple of pop-ups a month.”…