Little Loaf Bakery and Schoolhouse is Coziness Personified
Little Loaf Bakery and Schoolhouse
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Little Loaf Bakery and Schoolhouse 〰️
Tucked within the trees off Wrighstsville Avenue inside a converted house that is nearly 100 years old - Little Loaf Bakery boasts an atmosphere that not only embodies coziness and tranquility, but also sells it by the slice.
In 2020, one $10 bill would become the genesis of one of the most admired bakeries in Wilmington. In the midst of the pandemic and quarantine, Julia Castellano found herself at home like many of us, baking to kill time while cooped up indoors. While she was honing in her skills, lucky friends would recieve loaves of sourdough, focaccia, and baguettes. While making a delivery to a friend, they gave her an unsolicited $10 - which is still the price of a country sourdough loaf at the bakery today; paying homage to the first unofficial transaction of Little Loaf Bakery.
Julia moved to Wilmington from New York when she was 10 years old, and the last thing she anticipated was calling it a forever home one day. She wanted to explore outside the confines of the small knit community of the Port City - even admitting she prefers the mountains over the beach.
From age 17 to 27, Julia travelled many corners of the globe, teaching English. While her location was regularly changing, the constant of making delicious baked goods was ever-present.
“When I was travelling and living in solitude, I was always baking. And that was when it clicked for me that this was what I care about the most. It was almost like therapy turned into my passion.”
After attending an intensive baking school in Canada, Julia made the change into the traditional food service industry, working as a baker at a handful of Wilmington based restaurants - all while continuing to manage the humble beginnings of Little Loaf Bakery and Schoolhouse in early 2021.
Within the warm, and wholesome world of baked goods is lost the absolutely taxing hours needed to operate a bakery. The business day starts from 2:00 - 3:00 AM, and that usually means bedtime is around 6:00 PM. Julia mentions that there wasn’t much of a social life outside of the bakery in its early days, as it’s tough to get people to go grab dinner at 4:00 PM.
However, for Julia those early hours are a sacred time.
“It feels like the sunrise is mine. No one is in the shop, its quiet, you smell the bread, you sip your coffee, play your music... I mean I have goosebumps thinking about it. ”
However, while she may have spent many mornings alone, baking at 3:00 AM - she has not been alone in this journey of entrepreneurship. Julia is gracious of the steadfast support and encouragement her parents have provided, along with her sister - who ended up deciding not to pursue graduate school to join her on this endeavor.
“My grandpa was a fruit vendor in New York, and an Italian immigrant. My dad (also self employed) said “Entrepreneurship is in your blood, just do it!””
A collection of family photos in the shop.
As the business continued to grow through sales at various farmers markets in the Wilmington area, an opportunity to purchase a brick and mortar location presented itself in late 2021.
Julia and her family acquired a nearly 100 year old former house turned yarn shop on Wrightsville Avenue in August of 2021 to serve as the brick and mortar location for Little Loaf Bakery and Schoolhouse.
The plan was for the business to be open in six weeks. Those six weeks bled into a long and challenging two years, where the historic home reared its ugly teeth. Uneven floors and an electrical issue resulting from an incredibly unique part needing replacing caused the opening to be delayed tremendously.
"We couldn't find this last electrical panel part anywhere, and it was keeping us from opening. So I posted on Instagram asking if anyone had the part we needed, and by pure chance a friend of mine in Kansas City was able to find one locally near them, and we were ultimately able to fix it and open up,” says Julia.
After two years of grassroots work building relationships and the brand, once the doors opened, customers flocked into the bakery in an outpouring of support. Since then, Little Loaf has been embraced as a community staple.
Although Julia is incredibly knowledgable on baked goods and breads, Little Loaf doesn’t carry itself as a “high end” bakery.
“Simply put, if you want something yummy, and want to chill for a little bit in a comfy setting, come on in. We aim to be something that makes your day better.”
Over the past four years, Julia’s breads and pastries have been the centerpiece of many of life’s greatest moments and celebrations for those in the Wilmington area. However, Julia recalls a touching occasion of mourning within the first year of opening as one of the most special memories since opening the bakery.
A local woman and her mother regularly came to the bakery to have pastries together every week. It was one of their favorite activities to do together, and a special mother/daughter bonding moment they had each week.
One day, the woman came to Julia to notify her that her mother had passed away. In remembrance of her, she wanted to have family come to Little Loaf, eat treats, and celebrate her mother’s life through sharing words in one of her favorite places. Julia was moved by the fact her product could play such an important role in someone’s life.
The back patio, with the kitchen located past the double doors.
"The people that bring their kids and their family every Sunday, and come for their danish, muffin, and cookie for their favorite bonding moment of the week are really what have an impact on me. While the big events are fun to celebrate and serve, being a part of someone’s weekly routine is what is really touching to me,” says Julia.
It is hard to believe at one point, Julia desired nothing more than to leave Wilmington, and now her business plays an integral role in the lives of so many locals in the area.
Julia Castellano, owner of Little Loaf Bakery and Schoolhouse.
Plans in the immediate future include optimizing the current business to meet high demand - and of course, getting geared up for November and December, which is always the busiest time of the year.
For all of the bagel purists out there, you’ll be fired up to know distant plans for Little Loaf include possibly opening a bagel window. “My husband Dylan (also a baker at Little Loaf) is really good at making bagels, and we’d love to have a window and big kitchen that nobody dines in at, but that people can swing by and pick up orders,” she says.
But in the meantime, Julia has plenty on her plate, and plans to continue expanding the menu and hosting classes at the shop/schoolhouse.
Be sure to place your orders ahead of time on their website and follow Little Loaf on Instagram to keep up with the latest!