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DENIZENS OF THE financial district are well-acquainted with Financier Patisserie, a popular pastry shop that debuted on Stone Street in 2002 and has spawned two other downtown locations.
Soon all Manhattanites will be able to sample Financier's croissants, eclairs and signature coffee in its gleaming green and white stores.
Co-founder Peter Poulakakos and his Wall Street backers have an aggressive plan to pepper Manhattan with the Parisian-style cafes. Since 2009, they have opened six more Financiers, including four in midtown; as many as seven are slated to launch this year.
"There will be plenty of them in every neighborhood," declared Mr. Poulakakos. "It's going to be big."
He has the means to back up his claim. Mr. Poulakakos' father is the famous restaurateur Harry Poulakakos, whose Hanover Square eatery was the spot for high rollers for many years and established connections that proved vital to the son.
Framework in place
MR. POULAKAKOS built the framework for Financier's growth over the past several years, during which he reeled in a major new investor, bought a coffee roasting company and purchased a building in which he put a 14,000-square-foot kitchen to supply the stores.
The business' trajectory is similar to that of another local bakery that started small, Crumbs, which was...