Village Baking Co. is shifting its production facility from the original snug shop on University Blvd. to a space, many times its size, at I-35 and Commonwealth. Perched akimbo between the Design District and Oak Cliff, the location will expand the company’s reach and delight those who will no longer have to cross the river for boules and baguettes, for almond-studded croissants and the draw of naturally leavened sourdough.
“We had outgrown our capacity at the University store,” says Julie Brown, who has been director of operations since they started. “We wanted to be in a space where we could grow. This building is about four times the size of the University space.”
The move allows them to expand their wholesale client repertoire. New sheeters and deck ovens will join conveyor belts and a 100-foot tunnel oven that will toast to a golden finish the sandwich bread loaves and hamburger and hot dog buns they provide to restaurants.
Meanwhile, the small retail portion of the new facility is slated to open by the end of the month, its full espresso bar, pastry case, and sandwich offerings mirroring those at the Greenville Ave. spot that opened in 2015 when the demand for Village Baking Co.’s flaky croissants and kouign-amann was already in full bloom.
Originally founded by a seeker in love with the tang of levain and in search of an artisan outlet for his training with buttery laminated dough, the farmers market business became a brick-and-mortar presence three days a week, slowly increasing its hours as it gained a following on University Blvd. Now it enters a new phase of being.
