Walking into Le Marche by NP is like stepping off Central Avenue and into the heart of Paris. The combination cafe and boutique brings a touch of European culture to downtown Whitefish.

"People are used to animals popping out of the walls," said owner Jordana Woodland, referring to Montana's quintessential wild game mounts. "We wanted everything but that."

The vision originally came from Woodland's first shop, which she operated in Los Angeles from 2014 through 2017. Originally, she concentrated primarily on selling her personal clothing line, known as Naked Princess.

In 2018, Woodland moved her entire operation to Whitefish, where she's raising her four children. Though she first set up shop on Second Street, she set her sights on a more walkable downtown location.

In May, she opened Le Marche by NP ("the market" in French) on Central Avenue. With Woodland's renovations — including pink striping, spacious seating and a wall-to-wall world map — the space is unrecognizable as the former site of Nelson's Ace Hardware.

In her new building, Woodland redirected her focus from the clothing side to the coffee shop.

"Here we flipped the concept to make it more of a cafe," Woodland said.

Le Marche by NP includes a boutique shopping section with apparel and items Woodland called "giftables," such as lip gloss, toiletries, candles and books.

But the pièce de résistance at Le Marche by NP are the edible options.

The cafe portion of the business, referred to as the Boudoir Bar Cafe, features coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

Less familiar — but no less popular — is Le Marche's rotating menu of gelato flavors.

"Some people don't understand that it's not ice cream," Woodland said of the richer, creamier frozen treat. Nonetheless, "it's a huge hit," she said.

Le Marche by NP is the only shop in Whitefish that offers gelato, and it comes in eight flavors, including coffee chocolate chip and dulce le leche.

In addition, Le Marche by NP sells smoothies, frappes and small pastry treats. Woodland would like to expand to soups and sandwiches eventually, too, although there aren't any full meal options there yet.

FOOD AND drink aren't the only things that make Le Marche by NP a traditional coffee shop. Part of Woodland's mission is creating an ambience that encourages customers to stay awhile inside Le Marche by NP's pink walls.

Le Marche by NP stays open later than a typical café — until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Woodland sees it as an alternative to a bar for people who want to experience a different version of Whitefish after dark.

To that end, Woodland also plans to host events at Le Marche by NP, like live music, book readings and movie nights. She's considering opening up the space for parties and other private affairs.

"We have all these ideas flowing," Woodland said. "There's so much you can do with a space like this."

Le Marche by NP is located at 224 Central Ave. in Whitefish. It's open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.