The Crumpet Shop has been in the Pike Place Market since 1976. But how did it get to Edmonds?

EDMONDS — A random stroll in Pike Place Market two years ago led Cooper and Amy Golding to notice a For Sale sign at The Crumpet Shop, the Seattle waterfront eatery that’s been in business since 1976.

Not only did the couple buy The Crumpet Stop from the retiring original owners, Gary Lasater and Nancy McFaul, but in May they opened a second location in downtown Edmonds on Main Street.

Like the Seattle original, small griddle cakes are made from an unsweetened batter of water, flour, yeast and a small amount of salt and cooked in round rings on a hot griddle.

The taste?

Cooper Golding describes it as “almost like a thicker pancake with a crispy bottom and a spongy inside with almost a bread-like texture.”

He notes the top of the crumpet contains miniature holes which allow add-ons to melt in.

The crumpets are finished off with custom ingredients to the customer’s order. They can be savory, say butter or imported English cheese, or sweet like organic honey, lemon curd or strawberry preserves.

A third category is specialty crumpets such as smoked salmon, cream cheese and fresh cucumbers, ham, English cheese and tomato and maple butter, cream cheese and walnuts.

Cooper Golding said he and his wife fell in love with The Crumpet Shop when they discovered the 900-square-foot location at the Pike Place Market with its viewing window showing the crumpets being made.

“Just a real unique shop that you can’t find anywhere else,” he said.

Except for the new location in Edmonds.

Actually, there is at least one other place in the U.S. that serves crumpets. Golding said his research found a crumpet eatery in Rochester, New York.

But that restaurant traces its roots back to Seattle.

The co-owner of the Rochester shop said on her shop’s website that she gained her knowledge of the crumpet world from visiting the Seattle original at the Pike Place Market.

Cooper Golding may have missed Austin, Texas. A Google search turned up a couple running a crumpet pop-up in that city. However, the duo behind the Austin crumpets told the website Eater Austin that they first discovered the food at The Crumpet Shop in Seattle.

So, all roads in the U.S. crumpet world lead back to the Seattle original and it’s new sibling in Edmonds.

Cooper Golding said he felt like he was buying a piece of history when he and Amy purchased The Crumpet Shop. He said older customers approach him with their memories of going to the crumpet shop as a child.

Why crumpets never became popular in the U.S. remains a mystery.

“I think it’s an interesting thing that crumpets are somewhat popular overseas,” said Cooper Golding. “England, Australia, people know them and buy them in the supermarket, but here it’s kind of like a unique thing.”

Golding, who had worked in various restaurant kitchens, said he and his wife had wanted to be entrepreneurs, and were searching for the right business when they made their discovery of The Crumpet Shop at The Pike Place Market.

The couple had just moved to Seattle from Northern California, reuniting ties to the state of Washington. Amy Golding had grown up in Seattle while Coope’s grandfather lived in Sequim. The expansion of The Crumpet Shop to Edmonds came after frequent visits to see Amy’s cousin in Edmonds. The couple started exploring and discovered that Edmonds had a very vibrant downtown with a strong restaurant scene.

“It’s kind of a destination within the surrounding area and a food destination as well,” said Cooper Golding.

The Edmonds location is several times larger than the Seattle original and has tables both indoors and outdoors. Best of all, there is a parking lot in the back of the shop, a find in downtown Edmonds.

Golding said the Edmonds location serves 700 crumpets a day.

He said customers are a mix of those who know the place from Pike Place Market and those who have never heard of a crumpet.

He said the regulars from Seattle are excited about the Edmonds location, closer to their home, while the newbies need some convincing.

“It’s foreign and weird and it takes a little coaching to get folks to try and feel comfortable with it,” he said of the crumpet.

The crumpet shop is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. On Saturdays and Sundays, it stays open until 4 p.m.

Randy Diamond: 425-339-3097; randy.diamond@heraldnet.com.