‘Almost there:’ Venee Pawlowski’s dream of opening a patisserie is close with help from crowdfunding

Featured photo: Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie is scheduled to open at Revolution Mill this summer. (courtesy photo)

A delectable smell wafts from Veneé Pawlowski’s oven as a batch of cakes, pies, croissants and a multitude of other pastries finish off. Pawloski is working to open her new bakery, Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie at Revolution Mill, and a recent crowdfunding effort has put the baker one step closer to realizing her dream. 

Back in 2020, when residents were in lockdown Pawlowski, who had previously worked in a coffee shop before the pandemic and had been training to be a pastry chef, decided to start baking with her daughter; as they baked, they found that their favorite item was cinnamon rolls. She then began sharing her confection with the community. 

“We were a COVID business through and through,” she says. “We had great responses from friends and family. Word of mouth spread and continued even after the lockdowns ended.”

The word did indeed begin to spread, and her pastries grew in popularity, offering a sweet delight during a year that was bitterly sour. As time went on and her business grew, Pawloski began selling her confectionery to local shops, such as Green Bean, Borough Coffee and Double Oaks Bed and Breakfast. They included a variety of sweets, such as banana pudding, cream puffs and the community favorite — her cinnamon rolls. 

Pawloski is now in the process of opening a brick and mortar location at Revolution Mill with a soft launch planned for early August. Some difficulties emerged as the costs of opening expenses mounted and she started a GoFundMe page to help. 

One difficulty includes the delay in purchasing ovens and having to open the walls of the bakery to get them in. Such setbacks have shut down production, leaving the opening date for the bakery uncertain. Pawlowski remains undeterred, however, as she works hard to produce fresh dough on a weekly basis and operates a sheeter to make quality croissants. She currently rents several kitchen spaces to accommodate the growing demands.

“We’ve had to shut down much of production due to these setbacks,” she says. “Through it all, it’s been a learning experience.”

As of July 19, the GoFundMe exceeded its goal of raising $5,500 with a total of $5,625. Pawlowski said she’s been humbled by the amount of support the community has shown her in the last few weeks. 

“I feel absolutely humbled and awestruck by the sheer amount of love this community has shown Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie,” Pawlowski said. “I truly feel that this is Greensboro’s bakery and I’m going to do what I can to make sure that doesn’t change.”

As she continues to work towards her goal, she reflects on the past two years of channeling her passion.

“This goes back to my original training,” she says. “Back to my coffee shop job and pastry-chef training. This has all come back full circle.”

To donate to the GoFundMe page, visit the page here. Follow Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie on social media to stay up to date on the official opening of the business.