West Side residents will be overjoyed to hear that BreadHive Worker Cooperative Bakery has found a home at 123 Baynes, just north of the intersection with Auburn (the closest major intersection is either Richmond or Grant and Lafayette). You might recall that BRO covered the rise of BreadHive in this September article. At the time that the article was written, it was unclear just where the proprietors were looking to open.
Then, as if out of the blue, BreadHive announced that they had located their ideal home for the bakery, and although bread won’t be available to the public until the building is squared away, work has begun that will see the operation to fruition. According to Breadhive Worker Owners, “… the building is undergoing a historically sensitive rehab (with radiant floor heating and a complete restoration of the historical facade) by J-M Reed and Claire Schneider PLUS our additional bakery build-out – we’ve got some work to do before we’re producing. The good news is that the work is getting done extremely quickly and our beautiful third-hand oven, Grendel, has been re-assembled by a hand-picked task force. Soon we shall be producing the tastiest of fresh-baked vapors for those of you who are lucky enough to live downwind. As all West Side residents, we at BreadHive are happy to put our business where our homes are. Besides the undeniable perk of being able to bike to work (and to farmer’s markets, bread in tow?!) we’re excited to meet our new neighbors and serve the needs of a thriving community.”
The building that the bakers found to run their operation out of is located just around the corner from Sweet_ness 7 on Grant Street, in an unassuming building, on an unassuming street (missing some of its street signs to boot) that you might not have ever noticed, even upon passing by. That’s what I love about the West Side. The possibilities are endless to recreate business pockets that might have existed fifty years ago. If you look closely, these types of buildings, and old boarded up corner pubs and markets are plentiful, and offer incredible opportunities for start-up businesses to thrive. I adore these neighborhood settings – the ones where suddenly there is an organic business destination that you can walk to, pick up a loaf of bread, or cheese, or a growler of beer. This is what makes a neighborhood and a city to so much fun to call “home”.
Although BreadHive is not open for business as of now, you can still buy the gift of bread by simply purchasing a gift certificate for anyone who is amped to see this new bakery come to life. It’s as easy as giving someone a prepaid voucher for bread, bagels, and/or granola. And who wouldn’t love that?
Photos: Follow BreadHive on Facebook