Photos by Erin Nelson.
Crystal and Shane Lovelady, owners of LoveDesserts, stand in the new redesigned shop, formerly Lette Macarons, in Heights Village in Cahaba Heights during the grand opening on June 25.
After the national brand of Lette Macarons fell into a sharp decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cahaba Heights location has rebranded and is now known as “LoveDesserts.”
LoveDesserts is owned and operated by Shane and Crystal Lovelady, who also ran Lette Macarons.
“They just have one shop in Beverly Hills,” Crystal said of Lette Macarons. “We were not ready to call it quits.”
So in January, Crystal decided to create a simple play off her and her husband’s last name while tying in their love for all things sweet, including the shop’s macarons, which will still be offered at LoveDesserts, along with other treats.
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Mary Hamm, left, prepares to select macarons for Meda and Kevin White during the grand opening of LoveDesserts.
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Mary Hamm, left, prepares to select macarons for Meda and Kevin White during the grand opening of LoveDesserts.
The store will now offer artisan chocolates and will continue offering, in addition to the macarons, shaved ice and gelato. Crystal said she’s working on creating a “Mac-lato,” which is a large macaron shell with gelato in between the shell.
LoveDesserts
WHERE: 3112 Heights Village in Cahaba Heights
HOURS: Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
WEB: eatlovedesserts.com
INSTAGRAM: @bhmlovesdesserts
Customers are responding to all that the store already offers, especially the Sno-Biz brand shaved ice, the Loveladys said.
The pandemic hurt Lette Macarons nationally because, due to the shutdown in California, it became difficult for stores to receive shipments from the state, which is the national base of the macaron chain, Crystal said. Shane said while they struggled during the pandemic, they were helped by food delivery services such as Grubhub and Doordash, along with Valentine’s Day orders, when people were buying treats for their loved ones.
“Doordash and Grubhub picked up a lot,” he said.
Still, the store never closed and continued to see customers come in and enjoy their treats.
“We’re just glad that people gave us the opportunity to do that,” Crystal said. “We want people to come and enjoy themselves.”
Crystal said she and her husband sincerely care about their products and quality, and will listen to feedback, even if an item doesn’t meet the customer’s standards.
Rebranding has included some redesign of the store’s interior, along with the store’s colors and other aesthetics, Crystal said. But the biggest change was the sign on the outside of the store in Heights Village.
Shane said Heights Village being an entertainment district helps the store, as does the arrival of Martin’s BBQ across the street, offering a good mix of retail, dining and desserts such as those served by LoveDesserts.
LoveDesserts will have a new pastry chef, and Crystal will also help make desserts. The store also employs several girls that help customers on a daily basis.
“We have wonderful girls that work here,” Crystal said.
“We get compliments all the time (on them,)” Shane said.
Shane said the store takes special pride in being a positive place for the community, helping people find some joy in sweets whenever they may need it.
“Sometimes, if you have a stressful day or something like that, and you get to come in … it puts a smile on their face, and we’re able to talk to them,” Shane said. “I enjoy that.”
