Wiltshire Pantry setting up new bakery, cafe in downtown Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A beloved Highlands bakery is moving into a prime downtown location on West Main Street.

Wiltshire Pantry owner Susan Hershberg said she plans to open another bakery and café in the former Atlantic No. 5 spot at 605 W. Main St. this fall. Hershberg had been looking to expand to the downtown corridor for a while and was waiting for the right location and opportunity.

“I love the way that the area from the Kentucky Center down to the Frazier has come around and been revitalized," she said. "There’s a lot of new energy down there. And this for me has been a long time in the making."

Atlantic No. 5, a former coffee shop, is the “perfect turnkey operation,” she said. The shop will get a fresh coat of paint and undergo some re-branding, but the majority of the design inside will remain the same as it suits the Wiltshire’s current aesthetics. Hershberg said it will feel very similar to Wilshire Bakery and Café on Barret Avenue.

The new location will offer the same pastries as its other locations, and the executive chef will create a breakfast and lunch menu. Hershberg hired Oliver de la Garza last week to be the new executive chef. He will be training with Wiltshire’s catering operation for the next couple months. She said he comes “highly recommended from Butchertown Grocery.” De la Garza will also oversee catering at Wiltshire’s Speed Art Museum location.

The downtown bakery and café should be ready to open in October. Human recently announced that it would delay its full return to in-person work for the downtown offices from after Labor Day to mid-October because of concerns with rising COVID-19 cases. Many downtown businesses have been banking on office workers’ returning to in-person operations.

Hershberg said she was already planning for a fall grand opening in order to give the executive chef enough time to prepare and hire a staff. She added that it will be an added bonus that the timing could still line up with Humana’s return.

“I’m really excited about being part of welcoming people back downtown,” Hershberg said. “And more than anything, we’re excited to be in the downtown environment.”

Hershberg said she intends for the location to be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.