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French macarons from Le Bon Macaron of East Lansing. The business is opening a second store in Grand Rapids this spring.

(Courtesy | Le Bon Macaron)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A little taste of Paris is coming to Grand Rapids.

In May, a second Michigan location of Le Bon Macaron will open at 951 Cherry Street SE, in the bustling East Hills Business District.

The storefront will sell French macarons, a soft cookie with a crunchy shell made of egg whites and almonds, sandwiches around a flavored, creamy filling.

"What makes them unique is the rich butter cream we fill them with," said Kelly Toland, who owns Le Bon Macaron with parents John and Wendy Kobus of Lansing.

Toland's first macaron store opened last fall at 1133 E. Grand River Avenue in East Lansing. The business is expanding into West Michigan after Toland, a 2007 Albion College graduate, got married in 2012 and moved to Grand Rapids.

The family was looking for the right location and they found it on Cherry Street in the space formerly occupied by specialty furniture retailer Hunt & Gather, which recently moved its showroom into a renovated warehouse on Curve Street SW.

"We had our eyes on the area for a few years," said Toland. "We wanted something that had some European feel to it, and definitely some pedestrians."

The store will sell macarons shipped over from East Lansing. The plan is to offer about two-dozen different flavors priced at $2 apiece.

Eventually, the Grand Rapids shop will expand into other French pastries. Toland hopes the shop is reflective of patisseries common in Paris. She is fluent in French and previously spent several years running A Piece O' Cake bakery in East Lansing.

French macarons are "really something that no one is offering in Michigan," said Toland. "If you're going to find them in the states, it'll be in a big city."

If the store proves successful, Toland said more locations could follow.

Exact hours for Le Bon Macaron are still being determined.

Garret Ellison covers business, government, environment and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram