In a town as small as Hanover, businesses do everything they can to compete for customers, even if it means going out on to the street.
For the last five years, Lou's table of fresh baked goods and coffee outside its store on Main Street has been a common sight for morning and afternoon passersby, but since the opening of Chez Francoise in July behind the Dartmouth Bank, Lou's has had competition.
Both bakeries set up tables at 7 a.m. and do not clear the street until a little after 1 p.m., but Chez Francoise is only out there five days a week, while Lou's serves the passersby every day of the week.
Over the years, Lou's has built up a reputation for baked goods made from scratch, and the appearance of Chez Francoise's table only half a block away has not hurt business, Day Manager Betty Merrihew said.
"We're putting out as much as we ever have and getting very little coming back," Merrihew said.
While Lou's claims that the presence of Chez Francoise has not hurt business, an outdoor table places a lot of trust in mother nature. "It is mostly the weather that hurts business," Mark Woodward, the evening manager at Lou's said.
While Chez Francoise presents plain and filled croissants and Danish pastries, Lou's fills its table with glazed doughnuts, assorted muffins and sticky buns. Both provide a variety of beverages.
As they near lunchtime, Lou's brings out cookies and brownies, with the selection remaining mostly finger food. Chez Francoise, a full French bakery, bring out homemade quiches.
For Chez Francoise, the advantage is in the location. "If nothing else, it lets people know where we are," said Kathleen Guarino, who spends several days a week at the outside table.
According to Guarino, the outdoor table has been a financial success.
Lou's, which is centrally located on Main Street, first began the outdoor table during special weekends when the town was busy. It saw that people in the streets hesitated to come in because they saw lines inside, Merrihew said.
