A new bakery in Olympia’s West Side is serving up treats in a homey and casual atmosphere that draws people in again and again. The Lovely & Dapper Bakery on Division Street is owned by married couple Emily and Drew Crain. They recently moved their pop-up-based business from West Seattle to a physical location here, which features a warm interior and cozy patio making it even more a part of the neighborhood.
Bakery in Olympia Boosts a Family-Owned Touch in Every Bite
Emily and Drew first met when they were workers at Le Panier, a bakery in Pike Place, and both always shared the dream of one day opening their own bakery. The two worked for a number of different businesses and catering companies until the pandemic hit. That’s when they finally decided to start making their dream a reality.
Emily describes how she has always loved baking from childhood. “I remember my mom baking a lot,” she says. Emily grew to find enjoyment in baking as a creative activity. The best part of baking for her is to simply go into the kitchen and experiment with different flavor combinations and techniques.
Eventually working in factory jobs became monotonous for them, since they didn’t have the freedom to try the products they wanted. The Lovely & Dapper Bakery fulfills that for them, being not only a business, but also an artistic space where they can express themselves and share the joy baking brings to them with the rest of the area and all those who visit.
Seattle Bakery Moves to Olympia
Initially, they were very active as a business through pop-ups and catering jobs, selling at venues including farmers markets and the annual Seattle Christmas Market. Averaging six to seven events a week was not an easy task though, especially as they’d travel outside of Seattle to places such as Bremerton and Maple Valley after making all their products in a commercial kitchen.
Emily and Drew weren’t considering a brick-and-mortar format at first, but as sales at the market began to go down, considerations about how to move forward began to arise. As a family, they had been looking into Olympia for a while. Everything about the place seemed to be ideal: they fell in love with the area; were fond of the neighborhood feel; and how supported small businesses are by the local community.
Emily and Drew state that the best aspect of having a physical location is getting to see customers and friends advocating for them as they work to be known in town. The stability of staying in one place has certainly been a plus in switching from a traveling business, but, more than that, seeing the number of regulars and familiar faces grow has been one of the greatest highlights in the process for them.
The name for the bakery came pretty naturally: Emily always wanted “Lovely” as part of her bakery’s name and Drew was drawn to the sound of “Dapper,” so they put the two together on their honeymoon and thought it was a perfect fit. “There’s an old-world charm about it,” says Drew, and they aim to preserve that atmosphere with the layout for their business. They want people to feel like they’re entering a living room of baked goods and classic coffee options rather than be struck by the starkness many modern buildings lean towards.
Vegan, Gluten-free Bakery in Olympia
Despite having settled in the area just a few months ago, the Lovely & Dapper Bakery is eager to get to know the community. “We’d like people to just stop by because they’re like, ‘Hey, I wonder what the Lovely & Dapper Bakery is up to,’” Drew mentions. Their hope is to become a tradition people have, and to stay fresh in the community’s mind by changing up their typical products to match the season – some holiday specials may be in the works – and trying out new decor to go along with that.
Along with traditional baked goods, The Lovely & Dapper Bakery offers a variety of gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan alternatives which have undergone extensive testing to refine. Their motto is, “Everyone deserves cake,” and good cake at that. They’ve even tricked friends who typically won’t go near gluten-free and vegan options to believe the ones they’ve developed are the ingredient originals! One detail to note is that they are not suitable for folks who are celiac since two separate kitchens are needed to qualify for that.
The bakery also offers coffee drinks to go with their treats.
It’s very easy to make this bakery a part of your day; whether you’d like to take the whole family for a slow, relaxed outing or grab a quick bite, the Lovely & Dapper Bakery is the perfect choice for both. For more information, visit the Lovely & Dapper Bakery website and social media.
The Lovely & Dapper Bakery
106 Division Street NW, Olympia
360.915.9395
