The Los 3 Reyes Bakery in historic downtown Faribault, at the center of a controversy over exterior paint color. This photo shows the bakery before it was repainted.
ONCE UPON A TIME, a merchant opened a bakery in a very old town. All around him were rather plain looking shops that made him yawn.
So the shopkeeper, who baked delicious pastries and cakes and breads, painted his bakery a bright green. It was a happy color that made him smile.
But not everyone in the village liked the green paint. Offensive, they called it. Too bright, they said. Ugly, they thought.
He heard the angry whispers.
One day, as he was pulling a tray of besos from the oven, men dressed in golden robes came with their official papers. “By edict of the magistrate, you must hereby repaint your bakery,” the proclamation read.
The baker did not want to change the beautiful green color. But he felt he must. He was, after all, not one of them.
“You must not follow this decree,” several merchants advised him.
“You must rebel,” the peasants urged.
But the lowly merchant kept quiet. He did not want to fight.
And so, one day when the humble baker was pulling a tray of gallinas from the oven, a painter came with his brushes and his cans of drab green paint. He brushed the paint across the bright green walls.
Then the golden-robed men returned. They stood outside the bakery. Just right, they agreed. A lovely color, they concurred. Beautiful, they exclaimed.
Inside the bakery, the lowly baker watched as he punched a ball of bread dough.
THE END
The Los 3 Reyes Bakery after it was repainted a subtler, almost gray, green last Thursday.
THE ABOVE STORY is a fictionalized version of a real-life issue that arose in Faribault recently regarding the Los 3 Reyes Bakery. Some business owners objected to the bakery’s bright green exterior, deeming it inappropriate for the historic downtown.
Last Thursday, the bakery was repainted a subtler, almost gray, green. The aforementioned business owners paid for the project because bakery owner Mariano Perez could not afford to repaint the building.
In speaking twice with Mariano, I believe that he may have felt pressured into repainting his bakery. Because of language barriers, he may not have fully understood that he had not broken any laws, ordinances or historic district guidelines.
He told me on Saturday that “the committee” presented him with paint color choices, the new hue among them. Then the painter showed up without informing him.
Mariano added that he received strong customer support for the bright green exterior and experienced increased business due to the color controversy.
This Latino business owner seems to harbor no resentment toward those who found the bright green color objectionable. Rather, he maintains a positive attitude.
Though the building exterior has dimmed, inside the bakery remains as bright and cheery as pre-repaint days. Nothing, it seems, can dim Mariano’s smile and upbeat spirit.
For more background, read my previous posts, “A controversy over color in downtown Faribault” (Sept. 30) and “Inside the colorful Los 3 Reyes Bakery” (Oct. 6).
What’s your take on this story? Please share your thoughts.
© Copyright 2009 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Fun to read, Audrey, but also a bit unsettling in regard to how the owner seemed to have been stung. I’m sure everyone would claim they have the interest of the town in mind, but it’s too bad the brighter color didn’t spark a movement to repaint the other buildings. What a rainbow the street would have become and what a pleasue it would have been to see. Sure, I might have commented, “I like that color and not that one.” But I prefer colors that inspire an opinion to colors that inspire nothing. See the street called Notting Hill in the movie by that name, for example.
Now I’ll have to make a trip to visit the bakery.
Yes, Gordon, the whole issue is rather unsettling. We have many beautifully-restored buildings in downtown Faribault that I truly appreciate. This community has worked hard to preserve the past. Yet, I see the need for Faribault to also embrace business owners like Mariano Perez and the bright green, “happy” color he chose for his building. Readers, I encourage you, like Gordon, to stop in at the Los 3 Reyes Bakery for some absolutely delicious baked goods.
thanks for your thoughts. i hope a lot of people will read them. and i hope that a collection will be taken to bring back the first color. i think it is atrocious that this happened. all the letters in the Daily News were opposed to a repaint. the owner of the building didn’t care. the hypocrisy of allowing the building next door to remain as is makes me wonder what people are thinking in regards to a “historic downtown”. uniformity in a society is one of the worst things that can happen. unity with diversity is one of the best.
Thanks for your input, David. You made some good points. Just for the record, I spoke with a neighboring business owner, who stepped outside his store on Saturday to see why I was shooting photos of the bakery. In our brief exchange, he expressed his support for the original bright green color of the Los 3 Reyes Bakery. He also was dismayed that a businessman could be “told” what color to paint his business exterior. He did not donate to “the cause.” I truly question how many individual business owners really did object to the bright green. Hopefully we have all learned from this. Please share my blogs with others who would be interested in not only this topic, but others as well.