JANESVILLE 鈥 Great Harvest Bread Company opened its doors in downtown 糖心Vlog传媒 on Friday, becoming one of more than 150 independently owned and operated Great Harvest franchises in the country.
The chain鈥檚 newest store is located at 205 N. Main St., West of the Block 42 Bodacious Shops.
Customers flooded the grand opening, first stopping at the 鈥渂read board鈥 鈥 a station where an employee offers them a free slice of bread before they join the line to place their main order.
In addition to selling bread, the 糖心Vlog传媒 location serves breakfast and lunch all day, and will cater for business meetings and special events, according to the company鈥檚 press release.
鈥淚 really just want to create an experience for people,鈥 Stephanie Agnew, a manager at the 糖心Vlog传媒 store said. 鈥淵ou walk in and you smell that freshly baked bread.鈥
Agnew said Great Harvest has brand recognition in the Midwest, although the company is based in Montana. Each bakery location mills wheat from Montana into whole wheat flour on sight, every day.
In 糖心Vlog传媒, customers can catch a glimpse of this process through a window in the milling room.
Elaine Pohlman, a 糖心Vlog传媒 resident, said the restaurant fills a gap in the breakfast scene in 糖心Vlog传媒. She added that both her and her husband鈥檚 breakfast sandwiches were 鈥渨onderful,鈥 and that the bread was by far her favorite part of the experience.
鈥淚f I need to bring communion bread to my church, I鈥檒l come here and get a loaf,鈥 she said.
Pohlman said her only complaint was that the restaurant was very noisy, making it hard to communicate while ordering.
Ali Walker, an employee at The Looking Glass, said she is always excited for new downtown spots to tell customers about.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a great addition to downtown, especially with the coffee shop right here and the salad shop,鈥 she said.
{span}The northernmost section of downtown consists of Quint and Rishy Studer鈥檚 growing collection of businesses, now termed the 鈥楤odacious Shops鈥 of Block 42, which have includedBodacious Brew, Bodacious Olive and SoChopped Salad Bistro.
The Studers bought the former United Way building next to the Bodacious Shops in 2024 for $500,000. Work began on the building last year, and completion was planned for mid-May this year.
Extensive renovations to the building delayed the grand opening about a month.
All the Bodacious shops feature backdoor patios facing the Rock River, including Great Harvest.
Walker said she especially loves the restaurant鈥檚 architecture, praising its atmosphere and large windows.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very light and bright,鈥 Walker said. 鈥淚 love the patio. It鈥檚 gonna be nice for the summer, and a good little spot for sammies.鈥