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Dollop Bake Shop to Anchor New Condos Underway at Augusta, Damen

By Alisa Hauser | April 13, 2015 2:09pm
 Future home of Dollop Bake Shop
Future home of Dollop Bake Shop
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

UKRAINIAN VILLAGE —  An Uptown coffee shop that has expanded to several other neighborhoods will open its first-ever bakery/coffee shop hybrid in Ukranian Village in June.

Hoping to open on June 1st, Dollop Bake Shop will occupy a 1,600 square-foot storefront on the ground level of a new luxury condo building in the northwest corner of Damen Avenue and Augusta Boulevard. The local chain also plans to open sidewalk cafes in Streeterville and the Loop later this summer.

Future home of Dollop Bake Shop, 1000 N. Damen Ave. (DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser)

After this summer's expansion, there will be nine total Dollop cafes, with the Ukrainian Village bake shop — offering 25 indoor seats and 10 on a patio — among the largest, because it will operate a commissary kitchen, said Dollop Coffee Company's owner Dan Weiss on Friday.

At the Damen Avenue Dollop, pastry chef Axel Erkenswick will make custom pastries for all of the other Dollop locations, as well as the upcoming two new sidewalk cafes, at 860 N. DeWitt Place, set to open in late spring in Streeterville and 225 N. Washington Ave. in the Loop, debuting this summer.

Erkenswick's baked goods will focus on croissants, danishes, muffins, gluten free and vegan treats.  As with its other locations, Dollop will continue to serve Metropolis Coffee and pie from Hoosier Mama Pie Company, Weiss said.

Weiss said The Dollop Bake Shop location on Damen Avenue was chosen because of the new condo development.

"All of Dollop locations are east and the opportunity came up to go west; [Panoptic] is doing a great job with the building and we love the neighborhood," Weiss said.

In addition to freshly-baked French sweet and savory pastries — "made with the highest quality flours and European butter," according to a news release, Dollop Bake Shop will offer a rotating lunch menu of soups, salads and sandwiches that will use seasonal ingredients.

“I can’t wait to start the process of producing our own pastry in the Ukrainian Village,” says 36-year-old Weiss, who took over Dollop's original stop in Uptown in 2010 after the cafe had been open for five years.

"They wanted out and I saw the opportunity. Dollop is growing and our identity is emerging and I am lucky to have Axel, Paula from Hoosier Mama and designer Paul Leisen help move the company forward with me in this direction," Weiss said.

Weiss, a Streeterville resident, said hours are yet to be determined for the Ukrainian Village bake shop, but imagines an opening by 6:30 or 7 a.m. daily.

The two Streeterville and Loop sidewalk cafes will open into building lobbies and onto the street, featuring outdoor seating.

"Dollop continues to take pride in being a true amenity, not only to the buildings we live in, but to the communities we open our doors to,” says Weiss. “The DeWitt location is two blocks east of Water Tower Place, surrounded by people who are frightfully deprived of coffee; we can’t wait open up and fill that need.”

Rendering of Dollop Bake Shop, 1000 N. Damen Ave. (Leisen Design)

Rendering of Dollop Cafe, 225 W. Washington St. (Leisen Design)

Rendering of Dollop Cafe, 860 N. DeWitt Place, (Leisen Design)

For more info on Dollop Coffee Company, visit the shop's website, Facebook page or follow @DollopCoffeeCo on Twitter.

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