For 22 years, Pleaissant Croissant bakery was an obscure but popular one-man operation that built its clientele by serving croissants that would make even Parisians’ mouths water.

Now, under the guidance of new owners and entrepreneurs, brothers Nathan and Obed Giles, the shop has been given a face lift and a shorter name, P.croissant.

The new look was unveiled officially during a lavish grand-opening ceremony, featuring new signature breakfast and lunch croissant sandwiches and, of course, an abundance of specialty coffee drinks.

In addition to a new menu, the store now also benefits from an upgraded kitchen, a new manager with experience working in French and Italian cafes, a full catering menu and a marketing strategy that capitalizes on an eclectic, European atmosphere.

The biggest improvement, however, is a new, spacious location just doors from the original bakery on the northwest corner of Elliot and Rural roads.

All these changes mean that a once well-kept secret is about to be broken.

One piece of history that won’t be changing is the croissant recipes that made the restaurant a success among locals in the first place.

“Our thoughts coming into this was not to break it,” said Nathan. “We want to maintain the same quality and consistency in our product.”

The bakery, which had gone through only two owners in 22 years, started as a small shop that made croissants with lightly flavored fillings. The unabashedly sinful treats became renown among locals, and even brought in customers from as far away as Sun City.

Two years ago, the Gileses stumbled onto a reference to Pleaissant Croissant in a small newspaper article. They decided to check it out and were, no pun intended, pleasantly surprised.

“The croissants were phenomenal,” Nathan said. “And the breakfast sandwiches beat the tar off anything you could find at McDonalds or Jack in the Box.”

Obed, who describes himself as having a mild obsession with sweets, said they had been looking for a business to purchase and never suspected they might stumble onto a bakery. The brothers kept returning to the croissant shop and frequently talked to the owner, who mentioned he might be willing to sell.

“I opened my big mouth and stuck my foot half way down to my thigh, and ended up with a croissant shop,” laughed Nathan.

Since the “soft” opening in December, Nathan said reaction to the new store has been very positive.

“We were concerned that some people would be scared off, but everyone has been very supportive,” Nathan said.

“There are customers who are third or second generation.”

So, making sure the returning customers were happy became a top priority, he said.

New customers, including members of the French Club from Mesa Community College and some European visitors, have been drawn by the comfortable European environment which, in turn, adds to the ambiance of the store.

Even with the popularity of the croissants, which are made fresh daily, the brothers said they’ve worked to broaden the menu by adding their own P.Croissant roasted coffee, expanding the sandwiches and naming them after familiar European people or places, such as the Bon-a-part—a boneless chicken salad, with lettuce and tomato—and the Van Gogh—a vegetarian sandwich with sprouts, mushrooms, onion, green peppers, lettuce and tomatoes.

As a final exercise before sending the menu to print, the brothers also researched prices to compete with neighboring restaurants.

For example, the Caprese salad, which is made up of a spring salad, slices of mozzarella cheese, tomato, basil and vinaigrette, costs $5.95. Other restaurants sell it for as much as $12, said Nathan.

Nathan says the brothers are “thrilled to death” with the new location and menu lineup.

Planning took over a year, and it did take some time and effort for everything to be ready, Nathan said.

“But when people come in, they think it’s a new place. It’s not. It’s been here for 20 years.”

If all goes well, Nathan said, the business could be ready for expansion within two or three years.

“I wouldn’t have bought it if I couldn’t make it work,” he said.

Part of the brothers’ expansion plan was to build a kitchen large enough to support five to six more branch locations around Phoenix.

“The catering segment of the business has grown substantially, and we’re really pushing to grow.”

Another off-shoot of the catering growth is the use of the croissants as marketing tools by professional orthodontists or sales associates from pharmaceutical companies that bring the croissants as a promotional when visiting dentist or doctors’ offices.

Nathan and Obed who also own their run and own their own software company called Ex3, said their entrepreneurial and business senses comes from their childhood.

“When Obed and I were young, around 10 and 12 years old, we lived in a small town and our father was a minister,” related Nathan.

“Whatever we wanted, we had to go out and get.”

Armed with handwritten cards that promoted themselves as handymen and doers of odd jobs, Nathan said they soon had work all over town. Yet, ultimately, it was their father who influenced them the most.

“The work ethic came from my father who had a strong character. He had polio and walked with a small limp, but insisted on doing everything, so kudos to dad.”

P.croissant is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is located at 7520 S. Rural Road. You can find their menu online at www.pcroissant.com . For large orders call in advance at 480-838-5331.