LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Magnolia Bakery, the New York-based bakery that became a pop culture favorite in the early 2000s, is opening a Louisville location Tuesday as part of a wave of new business activity in the NuLu neighborhood.
Inside the bakery’s kitchen, staff members have been preparing the shop’s signature sweet treats ahead of opening day.
Magnolia Bakery opened in New York in 1996 and later gained national attention through appearances and references on shows including “Sex and the City,” “Saturday Night Live” and other programs.
For franchise owner Alex Nessenthaler, bringing the bakery to Louisville is personal. “It just felt very serendipitous to be able to bring something that was one of our favorite things from New York and bring it to my hometown,” Nessenthaler said. “It feels really special.”
The bakery’s opening comes as the surrounding block continues to change, with new businesses moving in and development happening near Louisville Slugger Field and Lynn Family Stadium. “I think it’s amazing to see just how much vibrancy is coming to the community,” Nessenthaler said. “I think NuLu is just such an incredible part of the city.”
Head baker Jessica Rock said she has watched the space transform from the early stages of construction. “The very first time I walked through this location, it was all gravel on the floor. There was no flooring,” Rock said. “It’s been really awesome to watch this come together.”
Magnolia Bakery is not the only business preparing to open along the block. Nearby, other spaces are being filled after a period in which some storefronts sat vacant.
A few doors down at Muth’s Candies, fourth-generation owners have watched the neighborhood change for decades. “There’s been some vacant properties for a little while now, but as a whole, the neighborhood has always had a life and always had people here,” said Sarah Blazin of Muth’s Candies.
Blazin said the area has gone through different phases of growth and decline, including after the pandemic, when several small businesses closed. “The pandemic took out a lot of small businesses again,” she said. “There were quite a few empty properties sitting around, particularly in this block.”
While Blazin said she is glad to see new businesses moving in, she said parking remains a concern as more restaurants and shops open. “It might be beating a dead horse at this point to say that parking is an issue, but parking is an issue,” Blazin said. “For every new business that comes into this neighborhood, particularly one like a restaurant, it’s going to require longer-term parking for its clients. It’s going to become more and more of a challenge.”
Still, Blazin said Muth’s Candies welcomes new neighbors. “We are excited for new people to be in the neighborhood,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of people come and go over the last 105 years.”
Magnolia Bakery opens Tuesday morning.