A baked goods shop called "George's Sweets" opened on August 1st inside the food market "Niji no Mart" (Ekimae-cho, Hirosaki City).

The store was started by Takeuchi Joji, a resident of Nishimeya, in 2018 without a physical store. Until now, the business has operated as a stall at events, cafes, and rented space in department stores, but in August 2023, the sister store "George's Sweets Shinjo Stand" (Nakahara Ward, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture) will open as the first brick-and-mortar store in the Kanto area. The store that opened this time will be the first permanent store in Aomori Prefecture.

According to Takeuchi, he first became interested in making sweets after working in confectionery manufacturing. He only worked there for a year, but with the help of a classmate and his older sister, who had moved to Tokyo and worked at a confectionery shop, he opened "George's Sweets" and gradually gained popularity through word of mouth and social media. It is now a popular shop with over 10,000 followers on Instagram.

Takeuchi, who had been thinking about opening a physical store for some time, says, "I wanted people to enjoy the 'snacks' that are a part of their daily lives. A major reason for opening a store was that I thought I could realize my vision in a market like 'Niji no Mart,' where locals stop by and shop on a regular basis."

The store is located near the east entrance, next to the coffee shop "Brother" that opened last November. The walls of the store are unified in a yellow-green color called "cooking apple green", and the store is only a sales booth. All the sweets are made by Takeuchi at Nishimeya's factory.

The menu is take-out only. Canelés (280 yen), plain scones (300 yen), carrot cake (430 yen), apple pie (400 yen), lemon cake (420 yen), etc. The product lineup and details will be posted on Instagram, and whole cake orders and reservations will be accepted as soon as they are ready.

Takeuchi smiles and says, "I want to become a snack shop that continues to be loved by local people."

Business hours are 8:00-18:00. Closed on Sundays.