Local entrepreneurs Letha and Wendy Miller Pugh have their minds set on growth and evolution for their gluten-free bakery Bake Me Happy. Located in Merion Village, what’s been mostly a grab-and-go business will soon offer an extended drink service, as well as seating and event space.
The idea came to Letha Pugh after their neighbor TY Fine Furniture packed up and moved to Clintonville, leaving 2,000 square feet of space behind.
“Letha wanted to put in a coffee shop. Right now it’s more of a grab-and-go. We have a lobby where there’s some seating, but there’s nowhere really for people to hang out,” Wendy Miller Pugh said.
That’ll change by this fall, after they turn the show room into a full service bakery counter and coffee shop. Along with the drip coffee they already offer, Pugh said they’ll be serving french press coffee and espresso drinks. They’ll add an iced coffee draft line, which will fill a glass or growler; and each month they’ll have three or four different local brewers’ coffee that customers will choose from.
“A lot of coffee shops have their brand loyalty, and there’s something to that, but there’s a lot of room for sharing the spot light,” Wendy Miller Pugh said.
They’re seeking a liquor license as well, hoping to add a gluten-free beer list, as well as wine and liquor to their drink menu.
Along with extended services, the Pughs want the space to be available for community gatherings. Company meetings, drum circles, special events, after hours events, musical performances — they’re all under consideration to bring purpose to the larger space.
Bake Me Happy will finish its expansion by early fall. Wendy Miller Pugh said they were aiming for August.
For more information, visit bakemehappygf.com. Learn more about the business and how Bake Me Happy knew it was time for expansion on The Metropreneur.