LuAnn’s Bakery & Cafe is Open for Business in Stafford
- Theresa Cramer
- Aug 8, 2025
- 2 min read
If you’re anything like me, you died a little inside when you heard Stafford Coffee Company was up for sale… again. But it seemed like the doors were barely closed before LuAnn’s Bakery & Cafe stepped in and announced that they were opening up shop in that prime location, reviving Stafford's spirits.
“A friend of mine who works out of our kitchen in Ellington, Emily from Brightside Kombucha, mentioned to me that she had been told they were looking to sell and I immediately had to learn more,” said owner Josh Virkler. ”I've always loved this location inside and out and it seemed like a great fit for us.”
Last Friday, LuAnn’s newest location had a soft launch, but on Tuesday, people were lined up down the block, ready to get their coffee and baked goods during the official opening day, complete with a ribbon cutting. And for the first 100 people in line, a “I was in the First 100” pin was also on the line. When I asked how opening day went (as if the whole town didn’t already know after all the pictures of the line up Main Street), Virkler said, “Honestly, better than I could have imagined! We had a line of about 150 people when we opened, so the community support was there in force! And my team, those who came from other locations to help as well as brand new, did fantastic!! They handled the chaos of opening day and made it happen without any major issues at all. We couldn't have asked for a better first day!”
Left: A crowd, including First Selectman Bill Morrison and State Senator Jeff Gordon, gather for LuAnn's Bakery & Cafe's ribbon cutting. Right: Virkler tells customers they were not in the first 100 people in line, and he is officially out of pins.
Source: Josh Virkler, LuAnn's Bakery & Cafe owner
If you weren’t in that line of 150 people, you may be wondering what changes you can expect to see inside. The answer is, not many. “We've done very little inside, Mike and Brad had done a great job with recent renovations. We made a few minor changes, but overall it's the same.”
That goes for the overall vibe, as well. Virkler said he still wants the corner coffee shop to “...be a place for people to meet friends, get some work done, or get something on the run, whatever their day looks like that particular day.” And based on a social media post highlighting the Jer-wich, some old favorites will still be on the menu.
The Ellington-based business is growing fast. In addition to the Stafford location, Virkler is also working on a downtown Hartford location. It also has a thriving wholesale business, selling to Big Y and Modern Milkman.
