Turning Over a New Loaf at Bay Bread Co.

TC bread and sandwich staple moves to Lake Ave. location

From perfectly-crusted sourdough boules, to blistered pizza dough, dinner rolls, sweets, and beyond, a deliciously-executed carb is joy in edible form.

For Krystal Fluette, co-owner of Bay Bread Company in Traverse City, carbs are also a key ingredient for building community. “I didn’t know that doing this would bring me so much joy,” she says. “The goal is to keep providing the bread and sweet treats that people have been getting for the last 20 years.”

As any seasoned carb-slinger knows, however, a vital step in ensuring a great bake is giving it ample room to expand—which is exactly what Bay Bread Co. has in store for its new storefront on Lake Avenue.

A Lasting Legacy

Though Bay Bread Company’s golden-brown legacy in Traverse City dates back nearly three decades, it was about four years ago that Fluette and her husband Scott purchased its longstanding Randolph Street space. Hospitality veterans both, and Scott in particular an avid home baker, the pair emerged from the pandemic in search of a fresh start.

“We were looking for a different life path,” says Fluette. “We had no formal baking experience, but when this opportunity came up, we were like, ‘let’s do it!’”

Bay Bread Co.’s sprawling shelves are home to more than 40 breads, headlined by what Fluette calls “the big three”—sourdough, whole wheat, and Italian styles—as well as ciabattas, sweet breads, ryes, and a litany of specialty loaves. The café also cranks out scads of sweet treats, which range from cookies to buns and tray bakes, as well as a growing line of sandwiches with the now-infamous MKP (that’s salted ciabatta with turkey, shredded cheddar, lettuce, and mayo in homage to the Mary’s Kitchen Port Gobbler) at the forefront.

Though Fluette notes that the pair have implemented a few minor changes during their tenure—the introduction of pizza bread, for instance, as well as a redesigned lunch menu—the bulk of the bakery’s original processes remain intact, with the signature flour, salt, water, and yeast combination still dominating their dozens of doughs. (In fact, their active sourdough starter was born alongside many Millennials.)

“It’s such a great product and staple in the community,” Fluette adds. “We love that it’s your neighborhood [spot] where you can go to get a fresh loaf of bread with zero extra ingredients.”

A New Location

The bakeshop, however, came with a five-year lease, which terminates in 2027. With this in mind, along with the knowledge that buying the building wouldn’t be feasible, the pair have spent the last two years brainstorming how and where to keep baking. After all, “It is not a small task to move a bakery,” Fluette notes with a laugh.

The ostensible answer to that question arrived last winter, when a friend directed Fluette’s attention to the vacant space inside Hagerty Insurance Agency, previously home to The Cavallino Café (which also closed its doors during COVID). Meanwhile, Fluette had set her sights on expanding elements of bakery production, which limited space at the Randolph location had curtailed.

Fast-forward to October 2026, and Bay Bread Company has officially moved its front-end to Lake Avenue between Union and Cass streets, complete with a giant grab-and-go case stocked with sandwiches, pasta salads, and wraps, as well as the usual scads of bread and baked goods and made-to-order breakfast and lunch options. Per Fluette, the plan is to keep baking production at the Randolph location for the last year of the lease before transferring that operation to a permanent commercial kitchen near Chum’s Corners.

“Change is always scary, but we’re not closing!” she says. “We’re moving and spreading our wings to be able to do so much more.”

A Place to Grow

In this regard, the most significant upgrade at Bay Bread’s new digs is a coffee and espresso bar.
Though that wasn’t always the plan—“I didn’t want to be a barista!” Fluette jokes—the Bay Bread team immediately noticed a need for caffeine on the south end of downtown, which lacks quick-casual day dining options á la predecessors like Mustard’s and Switch’s.

“There’s nowhere around us where you can grab something that isn’t a sit-down restaurant or bar,” Fluette notes. “It’s about offering [that] quality and being centrally-located for people.”

To fill this niche, Bay Bread’s new beverage menu includes the usual suspects (think: lattes, cappuccinos, etc.) featuring Grand Rapids-based Rowster Coffee products, as well as a burgeoning line of signature drinks—here, Fluette highlights a recent campfire latte—and in the next six months to a year, the introduction of Northwoods’ fountain sodas.

Things are also set to expand nosh-wise, with the new location offering increased capacity for grab-and-go items, as well as an onsite kitchen space. In this regard, Fluette says menus will likely consist of several signatures, which she describes as “classics with a twist”—adding arugula to a BLT for example, or trying a club sandwich on Parmesan Pepper bread—as well as weekly sandwich features, with more comprehensive rotations taking place seasonally.

“I’m really excited to incorporate breads like spinach-feta or garlic-asiago,” says Fluette. “We haven’t fully formulated the new menu yet, but those are some of the things we’re working towards.”

House-made soups, which will likely follow a similar pattern of menu standard-meets-weekly feature (they’re thinking chili for the former, says Fluette) are also in the works for November, as are plans to widen the bakery’s scope of sweet treats. Individual coffee cakes are on the docket, as are monthly cinnamon roll flavors and other novelty treats, like cake pops. Down the line, Fluette also envisions Bay Bread pastries on local grocery shelves.

A Fond Farewell

This, however, means shuttering one set of iconic yellow doors so another can open.

“If you close it, they will come,” Fluette jokingly says of the bakery’s Randolph Street exit. “But we’re not actually closing; and with local [patronage] evening out, it’s making more sense as we move towards winter.”

In fact, the team is already planning the reintroduction of such joyful community initiatives as dance days, which also involve free goodies, soup cook-offs, coffee hours, book clubs, and other events—anything that, like a loaf of bread or a cookie, makes life a little more enjoyable.

“I didn’t know that this was going to be my thing, but it absolutely is,” Fluette adds. “I love it. I want to keep doing it, and I want people to feel the passion we have in being part of this community.”

Carbs for the Holidays

One thing that isn’t changing anytime soon at Bay Bread Co. is holiday ordering!

“[It’s] a huge time for us,” Fluette says. “As far as availability, you’ll be able to order all of the same things from us as you have in the past.”

This includes thousands upon thousands of Thanksgiving rolls, from dinner to buttery tin and flavored varieties before traditional German stollen, or yeasted fruit bread, and Challah arrive in time for winter. Cinnamon rolls by the take-and-bake four-pack or mini-dozen (some in the shape of Christmas trees!) will also make their yearly resurgence, as will cookie-decorating kits, complete with colored frosting, cinnamon, and various sprinkles, and mix-and-match boxes of goodies galore.

Per Fluette, the bakery also offers a full holiday catering menu for corporate events, as well as private baking parties and their annual Cookie Decorating with Santa events, which will take place on Nov. 29, Dec. 5, and Dec. 6.

Find the new home of Bay Bread Co. at 131 Lake Ave. in Traverse City. See the menu and order online at baybreadco.com.

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