A family bakery plans to expand its offerings when it holds a grand opening later this month for its new Lehigh Valley location.
Latte Lounge & Bake Shoppe will hold the grand opening at 9 a.m. Sept. 26 at 15 Broadway in Bangor, said Seana Sapunarich, co-owner alongside her son Hunter Gabowsky, a student at Centenary University in New Jersey.
The bakery will serve coffee, lattes, dirty sodas, lemonade, smoothies, cupcakes, cakes, bread, bagels, doughnuts, biscotti and pies.
The new location will also offer breakfast and lunch items such as chicken salad, and will eventually team up with the caterer Mixed Up Flavors to offer dinners and brunch during parts of the week.
Sapunarich previously worked as a correctional officer, but has always enjoyed baking, especially with her mother Lorrie Kiernan.
“That was something that she was passionate about and she always wanted to do that as a career, but she was a stay-at-home mom,” Sapunarich said. “And so when she passed away five years ago, we continued to bake and then people would ask me, ‘Can you make me a cake? Can you do this for me?’ And I just decided to just go for it and do it as a side gig, and then it just took over.”
Sapunarich was injured during her job as an officer about three years ago and said she continues to experience some trouble with walking and standing for long periods of time, so it’s helpful that her baker job allows employees to run the front end and for her to work in the back as necessary.
“Instead of staying home and just doing physical therapy all day, I’d rather be here decorating cupcakes and making people smile,” she said. “To have a child come in and get a doughnut or a cookie and have them love it and come back with their parents over and over, it makes your day.”
The bakery began in 2024 as a pop-up vendor and caterer until it opened the first brick-and-mortar location in May at 690 Allegheny Road in Upper Mount Bethel Township, which they closed in August.
Sapunarich said the previous address wasn’t a good fit due to the rent increasing. The new address is also a lot bigger at roughly 3,000 square feet compared to the previous 800 square feet.
“We think we’re going to do amazingly well here, and we’re close to the community so we’re going to be … very much more involved with the community at this location,” she said. “We’re going to be able to offer more to everybody here.”
While Sapunarich said she hasn’t finalized the exact hours, she plans to open 8 a.m. through the afternoon Tuesday through Sunday.
The property previously hosted Kozy Emporium Gift Shop and Breakfast on Broadway.
Latte Lounge & Bake Shoppe will hold a grand opening later this month for its new location in the Lehigh Valley. (Photo courtesy of Seana Sapunarich)
Latte Lounge & Bake Shoppe will hold a grand opening later this month for its new location in the Lehigh Valley. (Photo courtesy of Seana Sapunarich)
Latte Lounge & Bake Shoppe will hold a grand opening later this month for its new location in the Lehigh Valley. (Photo courtesy of Seana Sapunarich)
Show Caption
1 of 3
Latte Lounge & Bake Shoppe will hold a grand opening later this month for its new location in the Lehigh Valley. (Photo courtesy of Seana Sapunarich)
Expand
Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief
Gigi & Alex Restaurant: The restaurant has opened at 605 Main St. in Hellertown, serving breakfast through dinner with dishes such as sandwiches, burritos, eggs, bacon, pancakes, wings, nachos, pasta, gyros, burgers and seafood.
Dos Hermanos Mexican Cuisine: The restaurant held a grand opening Saturday at 6 S. Broad St. in Nazareth, according to a news release provided by the Nazareth Economic Development Commission.
Pop Mart: The collectible store has opened at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township, the mall announced.
Bell Thai Kitchen: The Thai restaurant announced it will open soon at 2716 Community Drive in Moore Township.
Kramer’s Kutting Edge: The locksmithing and sharpening provider announced its opening Tuesday at 2935 Seisholtzville Road in Hereford Township, Berks County.
50 years of intimate performances
Godfrey Daniels celebrated its 50th anniversary with a ribbon cutting Wednesday at 7 E. Fourth St. in Bethlehem, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce announced on its website.
“For five decades, Godfrey Daniels has remained dedicated to enriching the community through live music, storytelling, and cultural experiences that connect people of all ages,” the chamber website said. “As one of the longest-running nonprofit music venues in the region, its commitment to preserving and promoting the performing arts has made it a treasured destination for residents and visitors alike.”
Dave Fry and Cindy Dinsmore opened the venue in March 1976 out of a former doughnut shop before it became a nonprofit organization in 1978, the venue website said.
In other news
Moravian Book Shop held a grand reopening celebration Wednesday at 428 Main St. in Bethlehem, a news release announced. Moravian University previously announced an end to the management contract for the shop with Barnes & Noble College.
The Farewell to Summer Festival will occur 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 19 at Triangle Park in Emmaus, a chamber of commerce news release announced, featuring vendors, food trucks, a “Touch-a-Truck” experience hosted by the Emmaus fire and police departments, a free tie-die station and the “Scarecrow Trail” for visiting downtown businesses.
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com. Sign up for our weekly Retail Watch newsletter at mcall.com/retailwatchsignup.