Jajabelle's Greek Bakery Coming Soon to Main Street

 Two days after taking over the storefront at 182 Main St., it's still bare bones inside. Jessica dePontbriand is working out the color scheme and other loving details of her Greek bakery. 

But the one sure thing is the framed portrait of her grandmother and four great aunts, who back in the day operated Makrina's bakery on Vine Street.  The enlarged black-and-white photograph will be the focal point of jajaBelle's Bakery. 

After all, they have been her inspiration, and will continue to be her muses.

"I know what it takes to make a business work. I've been doing in Colorado. Now, I'm excited to do it here,," dePontbriand said.

It's feels a lot like serendipity that she's landed on Main Street, ready to open up shop in January. She's returning to her roots after about eight years in Colorado, where she's gained valuable experience as a baker under the jajaBelle's shingle, perfecting the family recipes she grew up with.

Everything's happened so fast.

"Six weeks ago I was home visiting my family and I actually drove downtown to get a bagel from Bagel Alley when I saw this space was available. By the time I got home I had already called the landlord," dePontbriand said.

Since then she's been living between two worlds, tying up loose ends in Vail, Colo., and devoting herself to creating her dream bakery in her home town. Her dad, Pete dePontbriand, is a carpenter by trade, so he's been her right hand man when it comes to redesigning the interior of the former Eric's Main Street Bakery.

Her mom, Frances dePontbriand, retired after 40 years as a teacher in the Nashua school district, and is her other biggest fan.

"I always knew I'd come back, but even after leaving for Colorado, I was shipping goods back home to my customers here in New Hampshire," she said.

dePontbriand graduated from UNH's Whittemore School of Business in 2003, after winning the annual $4,000 Holloway competition for her business plan defining, of all things, a little Greek coffee/pastry shop called jajaBelle's she planned to own one day.

"It's just a name my cousin used to call me – she couldn't say 'Jessica' and so "jaja" stuck. As a child I used to pretend I had restaurant, and I liked the name jajabelle's," dePontbriand said.

Ten years later, the pieces of her dream are finally coming together.

"We'll serve espresso, coffee and tea, and Greek pastries. Eventually, I'd like to add soups and salads. I want it to be a place where people can come and relax," dePontbriand said. "I want people to feel comfortable here, like they're home."

You can follow Jajabelle's progress via her Facebook page as she makes the transition from Colorado back to New Hampshire.