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WPA Bakery coming to 27th Street
When House of Homemade suddenly shut down in July, David Rohrer and Kendra Feather saw an opportunity at Marshall and 27th to move forward with a bakery the two have long been planning.
“David has been our baker for years”, says Feather, owner of Ipanema Cafe and Garnett’s Cafe, and co-owner of The Roosevelt, “We’ve been operating out of Ipanema and Roosevelt, but have been looking for a spot for David to be on his own for a while, and we both just love Church Hill.”
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In addition to being the kitchen behind the Hummingbird Cake at Garnett’s, the Coconut Cake at The Roosevelt, and the Mexican Chocolate Pie at Ipanema, WPA Bakery already has a number of other wholesale clients: look for the WPA Bakery cupcakes on the University of Richmond campus, parfaits at the Best Cafe at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and other items available soon through the grocery delivery service Relay Foods.
The bakery will continue to be wholesale- and special-order only at first as Rohrer transitions to the new space. The plan is to be open for retail – selling snacks, sweets, and coffee – during the day sometime in the next 2 or 3 months. Across the intersection from WPA Bakery, work continues to open the highly anticipated Dutch and Company restaurant.
David and Kendra plan on being at the Church Hill Association’s August potluck picnic on Tuesday night with some treats. Be sure and stop by Reed Square on 26th Street and say hi.
Rohrer is also known around town for his paintings and has a show coming up in November at the Eric Schindler Gallery. Interestingly enough, in 2011 he painted the very building that WPA Bakery will be going into (from a photo of mine from 2005).
WPA Bakery
wpabakery.com | @wpabakery | Facebook
2707 East Marshall Street RVA 23223
27th Street Inn by David Rohrer
Nice logo!
Oh man, I’m going to get so fat with these guys in walking distance! Welcome, David!!
I kinda had an inside scoop on this and happy they are coming too. Can’t wait for some FRESH yeast glazed doughnuts so close to home! Along with their other goodies. ust as long as they keep the prices real and don’t price themselves out of business. The location is off the beaten path. Advertise!
I too like the logo and the name is great as well. I wasn’t sure if the WPA was a spin off of the Roosevelt New Deal work plan during the depression era or what at the time.
This is fantastic news!
we’ve been eating David’s desserts for years and loving every bite! so happy he’s now here in our neighborhood!
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE. GET INTO ME.
Coming Soon: New Bakery in Church Hill
http://www2.richmond.com/entertainment/2012/aug/20/coming-soon-new-bakery-church-hill-ar-2142884/
So sweet, right across the street.
So excited! I was hoping the paper in the windows meant someone new was coming! Although not good for my waistline (I live on 27th), excellent news for the neighborhood!
Yay! What good news.
Any chance of some nice local synergies between this and Buzzy’s? It seems like it would be nice if they could buy their coffee from Buzzy’s (assuming they won’t be roasting on site anyway) and Buzzy’s could order their pastries from here? Seems like a win-win that wouldn’t create too much cannibalization.
Maybe Buzzy’s could make an exclusive WPA blend and WPA could make some of Maryanne’s old recipes for Buzzy’s. Wouldn’t interfere with core lines for either business but would keep things local.
Can’t wait. Richmond needs a real bakery and knowing the good stuff they make, this will be excellent!
@thebrandonpeck – you may want to edit your avatar (profile) picture for posts here – a little too much for a family audiance.
Eric – Brandon’s comment got pulled in from Twitter, he didn’t post here specifically.
And it’s ok with me, all you see are boy nipples.
Fine with me too John… but may be a bit PG-13 to some here. 🙂
Please clarify something for this out-of-towner:
If Dutch & Co. is at 400 North 27th, wouldn’t that place it at the northwest corner of 27th and Marshall?
John’s flickr shot shows WPA on a corner. Odd house numbers are on the south side of East Marshall, are they not? Wouldn’t 2707 East Marshall be mid-block on the south side of the street and not on a corner?
You are correct in reading what the address probably *should* be.
WPA is on the corner, and seems like it ought to be at 2701, but that isn’t how it is.
The address has always been 325 N 27th but along the way when the building was renovated, the address was changed. The apartment address should have been a 1/2 address while the corner 325 and anything “facing” Marshall are those addresses meaning side entrances. The white building across the street now for sale is 324 N 27th. The old building built in 1815 which is gutted is 401 N 27th and of course the new restaurant is 400 N 27th.
Thanks for the attempts at clarification. So, I guess WPA is the southeast corner of 27th and Marshall eventhough it originally was 325 North 27th.
I’ll see for myself when I’m in Richmond at Christmas and go to DUTCH & CO for dinner. Last year, my niece and her husband took me to ROOSEVELT and on the way, my nephew-in-law pointed out a beautifully restored double house at (about) 405/407 North 27th where his relatives once lived.
Table Talk for Aug. 23
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/entertainment/2012/aug/23/tdweek04-table-talk-ar-2149505/
Biz Buzz: Restaurant baker and restaurant owner team up for new Church Hill bakery
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2012/aug/27/tdmbiz02-biz-buzz-restaurant-baker-and-restaurant–ar-2153048/
Burt…Most of the street has been renovated. We own the large white main house at 407 which was one whole house prior to 1904 but now divided with one wing as a separate home (407 1/2) N 27th.
What is the family name…I have done extensive research of all owners and most tenants since it was built in 1812.
Rich Siford told me he has talked with the owner. So, that would be you, Eric. Isn’t it either the oldest or among the oldest houses in Richmond?
It was beautifully decorated for the holiday season last year.
Yes, talked with him many times but lost contact.
Not the oldest but one of them in Richmond… is the oldest in Church Hill.
The house was honored in the latest book that came out last October about Church Hill with a full page in it and shows it decorated for the holidays.
Eric
What is the latest update? Things seem to be moving a bit slower now?
The tentative opening date is November 10.
@Eric, I repeat what has been asked before: do you have anything good to say?
Yes, when people do the right thing. When customer service is superior. When food is exceptional. Then I have something good to say 🙂