Local Spotlight - Andre's Confiserie Suisse

In my quest for an undeniably amazing macaron (à la Bouchon Bakery) made in KC (Dean and Deluca's offerings left much to be desired), I stopped in to Andre's Confiserie Suisse/ Rivaz in Overland Park to try my luck. 

Andre's was founded by the Bollier family after they emigrated from Switzerland in 1955. The goal in opening Andre's Confiserie Suisse was to provide traditional, high-quality Swiss treats to America. 
I can officially say...they succeeded. 


Aside from selling just sweets, Andre's also has a "tearoom" that serves a light lunch from 11-2:30, with the menu offerings changing from day to day. Before, during and after lunch, coffee, tea and pastries can still be purchased. 


And if a freshly prepared lunch is something that you don't have the time to sit down and enjoy, Andre's also serves to-go lunches that can be grabbed and packed up, such as the soups, baked meals  and casseroles that are stocked in the refrigerator. Had my eye on the pumpkin soup, but, alas, I was in for a macaron. Sweet tooth, you see. 

And the confiserie, of course, houses row upon row of chocolates, pastries and sweets to choose from (that is, if you can narrow your choice down to just one...or two...or three). 

 (How does one choose? How does one choose?!)

 (The famous Andre's chocolates)

(So, I finally decided on a key lime Franco-Suisse macaron - a good choice. As opposed to regular French macarons, this one was less crispy and the filling was creamier instead of light and jelly-filled. The Filbert Souffle - made with hazelnut meringue and chocolate ganache - rocked.my.world. Try one. Thank me later.)

Overall, a satisfying trip, and I'll be back soon!

Local Spotlight - Goldmakers Jewelry

Goldmakers Jewelry is the one-stop-shop in Lawrence, KS that caters to anyone with an affinity for jewelry - both costume and high-end pieces. Goldmakers is a store that I didn't properly discover until after I had lived in Lawrence for three years. As it so happened, I was walking along Massachusetts Street - strolling, if you will - when a turquoise-hued something caught my eye. I moseyed up to the store window to take a better look and was immediately taken aback by the prettily presented items for sale. Unlike the somewhat ostentatious way that other jewelry companies try to lasso in potential customers - such as with huge banners advertising discounts, cliche references to love and marriage and with uninspired, run-of-the-mill designs - Goldmakers had me at hello. Instead of in-your-face adverts, jewelry is displayed amidst whimsical odds and ends, such as stone busts, coffee and tea cups and pots, antique figurines, faux flowers, etcetera.

Goldmakers plays host to several different jewelry lines (over 40, according to the Goldmakers website), but the shop also makes and sells its own line of jewelry pieces - fashioned by the in-house jewelers - some that are ready-made and others that have been custom-made per request by customers.

The store itself is laidback, unlike some of the other too-bright, overstimulating jewelry store environments. Shannon greeted me when I walked in and she answered the questions that I asked about the store, as did other employees. It was really easy to talk to everyone and we had a good conversation (photography, jewelry and blogging were the main fodder).

Some of the designers that Goldmakers displays include: Alexis Bittar (statement piece costume jewelry with bright colors and a lot of stones), Dori Csengeri (half silk cotton and half gemstones), Extasia (a modern take on Victorian cameos), Verameat (slightly off-kilter, curious designs) and viv & ingrid (delicate, beautifully presented, ultra-feminine pieces).

 (A few angles of the shop, all from near the front entrance)

 (Some glorious Dori Csengeri pieces)

 (Plus Extasia, E A M and Verameat and La Vie Parisienne)

 (A Goldmakers original design)

 (I probably spent five minutes staring at the glittering middle ring, thinking about much I adore it.)

 (Look at all of this gorgeous finger candy.)

 (And again, I fell in love. Middle ring.)

 (Rings displayed in mini cupcake molds! Genius!)

 (Scarab jewelry. Does this remind anyone else of the Mummy movies?)

 (All of the gemstones that are available! Goldmakers' jewelers can set these for you in your own jewelry or you can commission a custom item using these.)

Overall, Goldmakers is brimming with beautiful pieces from a range of designers with various design sensibilities - some classic, some innovative, some whimsical, but all of which are well-made and gorgeous.