Notte’s Bon Ton Pastry & Confectionery, a well-known Vancouver bake shop, owns a proud tradition.

Established in 1926, the business has been operating for almost a century.

On its website, the artisanal bakery declares that it makes its cakes and pastries exactly the same way it did when it first opened its doors.

Notte’s Bon Ton Pastry & Confectionery is also for sale.

A listing by the Restaurant Business Broker agency pegs the price at $249,000.

The sale includes the bake shop and tea room.

The business is located in the Kitsilano area at 3150 West Broadway.

The listing also states that the business generates an annual gross revenue of $600,000, and approximately $100,000 in net income.

It likewise states that employees would like to stay with a new owner.

There are slightly varying accounts on how Notte’s Bon Ton Pastry & Confectionery started.

A 2016 account on the site creatorsvancouver.com states that the bakeshop was started by Oreste and Agnes Notte in Victoria.

“They moved to Vancouver in the 30’s and spent many of their decades downtown at 874 Granville Street, as one of the first tenants of the Commodore building,” the story recalled.

The 2016 account noted that the bakery remained in the Notte family.

“In the late 60’s, sons Alessandro and Alain took over,” the story narrated. “Now located on Broadway, Notte’s Bon Ton Bakery is still run by Alain, along with the retired Alessandro’s son Alain O. and long-time employee, Giovanni Bizzuti.”

Another story on bakersjournal.com in 2017 recalled that Oreste Notte, “initially emigrated from France to the United States as a teenager but didn’t like New York City and decided to try Canada”.

“He moved to Montreal and landed a job with the Canadian Pacific Railway. He got sent from Montreal to Niagara Falls, and then from there to the iconic Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C., where he worked as a pastry chef,” the story went.

Notte left his job at the Empress and went into business for himself in Victoria. His future wife Agnus, the story stated, met him in Victoria.

An account by the Montecristo Magazine recalled that the founder was “born in Italy and trained to be a pastry chef throughout Europe”.

The founder and his brother set up a bakery in Victoria, but had a falling out, according to the magazine’s story. 

The French phrase 'bon ton' means 'good taste'.