From Russia and France to Byron Bay: The founders of Eclair at the Bay share the struggles of starting a new business as immigrants

Byron Bay-based homemade pastry business Eclair at the Bay first started as the sweet and humble idea of delivering a box of three eclairs to the local community during the COVID pandemic lockdown.

Now, nestled in a charming and chic European hidden shop in the northern river region of Byron Bay, Eclair at the Bay has grown its range from eclairs to a variety of desserts available daily in founders Michelin-star trained pastry chef Pavel Stolarsky and Mary Martin’s first pastry shop.

The founders spent three years of doing local markets, home deliveries, catering events and weddings before officially opening the store in January 2023, and their business journey highlights the realities of starting a new business as immigrants to Australia.

From Russia and France to Byron Bay

Stolarsky was born in Russia but has lived in many countries since then, including Israel, Canada, the UK, and now Australia for the past seven years. His pastry journey began in London, where he honed his craft under culinary legends Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing. 

Martin is French and the founder of Studio Marius, a contemporary creative studio specialising in brand design, art direction, and strategy design for conscious businesses. Both Martin and Stolarsky work at Eclair at the Bay, with Stolarsky working full-time and Martin working in the business and working in the design studio on the side.

Eclair at the Bay started in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown after Stolarsky lost his job in a bakery. While contemplating what he could do for the community and to kill his boredom, he came up with the idea of putting his pastry skills to use.

“Motivated by this idea and after brainstorming about what pastry would be versatile, easy to deliver, and different from the competition in the area, l suggested eclairs: a classic French pastry,” Stolarsky tells SmartCompany.

“Together, using Mary’s skills as a brand and graphic designer, we started to draft our vision for this project. Mary designed the branding, including our very popular logo, the little surfboard eclairs, inspired by the surf culture here in Byron Bay and obviously the shape of the eclair. 

“We built a website, a social media account, and the packaging for our boxes. When we started, we only had one product, a box of three eclairs: vanilla, chocolate, and lemon eclair. We launched on social media for Mother’s Day in 2020 and had about 100 orders on the first day. It was crazy, but we delivered all our orders across the area with the help of friends. 

“Everything was a little bit homemade, and we had to find solutions in the moment. From that concept, and after many countless deliveries and online orders, we expanded our range with new flavoured eclairs and profiteroles. We started selling every weekend in different local markets around the area, which allowed us to connect with a wider audience. Our online orders also grew.”

In April, Eclair at the Bay celebrated three years in business and three months at the shop with a special selection of the 12 flavors of eclairs they’ve created over the years. The pastry shop sold over 400 eclairs and had about 100 customers who came to celebrate with them. 

Eclair at the Bay has many loyal customers who visit weekly or even daily, and even receives orders from Sydney, Gold Coast and Melbourne, which Stolarsky finds particularly rewarding as he wakes up early to produce freshly baked goods and fill the display cabinet.

Once the community learnt about Eclair at the Bay and word began to spread, orders began rolling in for croquembouches for weddings and birthdays. The next step was to open their own shop.

Source: Supplied

“After all the deliveries, events, and local markets, we never expected that a box of three eclairs would lead us to open our first pastry shop specialising in eclairs and luxury desserts in the heart of Byron Bay. If it weren’t for the passion, the support of the community, and the positive feedback, the story might not have been the same,” reflects Stolarsky.

The challenges faced by immigrant entrepreneurs

Martin says she and Stolarsky never really identify themselves as immigrants, even though it’s obvious that they aren’t from Australia and many times when they speak, someone will remind them they have an accent. 

“We came here seven years ago as tourists on a working holiday visa, and when we started Eclair at the Bay, it was more out of a need during that period of lockdown. We didn’t think about opening a shop three years later,” Martin explains.

“So we simply built our business by creating an Australian Business Number (ABN), registering our name, and starting trading, building an audience from scratch. We believe that everyone, whether Australian or an immigrant, can do the same. There is nothing that can stop you.

“We started in the same way one would start a new job, but this time as a sole trader. I had already been working and freelancing as a designer under an ABN, so we had some knowledge of how to do it.”

But challenges started to emerge when the businesses started to grow and the duo decided to open their shop.

“At that stage, we were on a bridging visa, waiting for confirmation on whether it would be accepted or not. This always created a little interior worry, but we didn’t tell anyone. We believed that our visa would be granted, and we did everything possible to make it happen. We were 100% focused on our goal to open our shop, and if the visa hadn’t been granted, we would have found a solution,” Martin says. 

From facing visa restrictions that prevent you from borrowing funds from banks, to navigating legal contracts in a non-native language, to dealing with the perception of not being fully trusted as an entrepreneur due to your strong accent, or simply being asked about your origin, Martin says there are many challenges facing immigrants who want to build a business in Australia. 

“One challenge was not being able to get a loan from the bank for the project, which is obviously an important aspect of opening a pastry shop. This also included not being able to rent brand new equipment for the kitchen, as baking equipment is expensive (an oven costs about $25,000),” she says. 

“Another challenge was the language barrier. Despite the fact that we speak English, there were sometimes difficult situations, especially when dealing with legal terminology for contracts, leases, ASIC, registration, and accounting. It’s an area that needs to be fully understood and approved.

“We also faced challenges related to our identity. Pavel isn’t French (even though we make ‘French-inspired desserts’ and more), and when customers ask him where he’s from, sometimes we feel they are disappointed by his answer when they were expecting him to say ‘from France’.

“This doesn’t reflect anything about Pavel’s quality of work, skill, or experience. We believe that our background shouldn’t affect our work at all in a negative way.”

On the other hand, Martin says there are positives too — such as bringing diverse cultures and experiences to the local community, and creating a unique and enriching experience for customers.

“I would say the first one is bringing our background and culture to the other side of the world, immersing Australians in our cute, elegant, European-inspired pastry shop,” she says. 

“We create an atmosphere that allows them to travel without leaving Australia. At the shop, we also sell products that can only be found in France, such as traditional homemade lollies from Vendee (where I come from). This brings exclusivity and makes the shop even more precious.”

“Another positive aspect is bringing back memories, not only for Australians but also for Europeans visiting or living in Byron Bay.”