“It feels nice to be able to be a place for customers to feel welcome and safe and not have to hide themselves in any sort of way. It’s meaningful work,” says Rian Finnegan, a co-owner and founder of Little Loaf Bakery.
Little Loaf is a completely vegan bakeshop currently based out of the shared commercial kitchen in the Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory, where they operate a pop-up Thursday through Saturday. On weekends, they sell at farmers’ markets in Sleepy Hollow, Cold Spring, and Beacon. You can also find baked goods at their wholesale locations including Lagusta’s Luscious in New Paltz and Sweet Maresa’s in Kingston. And soon, Little Loaf’s pastries which include banana and Nutella croissants, gluten-free scones, toasted pecan streusels, savory danishes, and soft pretzels, can be found at their permanent retail location in New Paltz.
From Pandemic to Pastries
Little Loaf co-owner Colleen Orlando has been baking for 14 years and attended culinary school in the Bay Area. “Just like a lot of people during the pandemic, I was like, ‘you know what? I’ve been doing this for a long time. I feel like I’m personally ready to do something; make our mark in our own way,’” she says.
Little Loaf made its debut in 2022 at the Beacon Farmers’ Market. For a new business, the farmers’ market was a shot in the dark for owners and couple, Orlando and Finnegan, but after a heartfelt application, they secured a spot. “We lived in Beacon at the time and it was just down the street. We got to meet some of the folks there too. I think they were looking for something that provided vegan options in the space,” Finnegan says.
Soon after they began farmers’ markets, Orlando quit her day job to pursue Little Loaf full time, and in February of last year, Finnegan also made the switch to working full-time for the bakeshop.
After three months of farmers’ markets, the two were approached about wholesale, which was not originally part of their plan. They also ventured to Worcester, Massachusetts for the New England VegFest, where their fan base grew. Finnegan and Orlando started to dream bigger. “Leave room for the unimagined, because there can be a thing that you set out to do, but if you just say no to all the opportunities that come by, then you’re limiting yourself,” Orlando says.
New Beginnings In New Paltz
A permanent retail location opening in January on New Paltz’s bustling Main Street is something that was a big step from their humble beginning in Beacon. “It’s just someone’s chiropractor’s office that’s totally been reimagined as this beautiful space on the way into the village,” Finnegan says. “We’re really excited for it. To have a space like this is like beyond our wildest dreams.”
Through their widespread Hudson Valley connections, Little Loaf has become more than a bakery for people to grab a bite but a community space as well. “There’s very strong communities at these festivals, especially vegan festivals. People travel for them. We see the same customers over and over. It’s the same vendors that we get to connect with and do fun collaborations with,” Finnegan says. “It just feels good. It feels really enriching and fulfilling to be able to do that. I think that’s something that we’ll continue to focus on.”
As a queer- and trans-owned business, people come to Little Loaf for a safe space. “It’s kind of a turbulent, scary time for the queer community, and it’s just great to be able to have that space after big things happen in the news, big decisions made on a national level. We had people coming in saying, ‘I didn’t know where else to go, so I came here.’” Finnegan says.
They also say that parents of queer children have asked them for advice. “When someone’s respectful and approaches us in a way that’s curious and says ‘I want to learn,’ that feels really good—that we can be that resource for parents,” Finnegan says.
For the couple, the employees and community of Little Loaf are the best parts of the job. “I can’t see myself doing anything else right now. I love interacting with our customers. I think it’s a way for us to provide people with these little moments of joy,” Finnegan says. Since their start, they’ve gone from a team of two to a staff of about 15 as they ramp up for the new location. “I love managing a team. I get to see people’s strengths, and I can see people’s potential, and say, ‘like this person’s gonna be great doing this’ and then watching them grow,” Orlando says.
At the New Paltz location customers can expect to find some new menu items like vegan breakfast sandwiches and an expansion on breads with brioche, focaccia, and ciabatta. “We really hope that New Paltz takes off, and it becomes like a really, you know, thriving, thriving business, and a place that people want to come to, and a place that feels good,” Finnegan says.
This article appears in December 2024.
