Sugar & Twine brings back indoor seating with storefront expansion

sugar twine carytown scaled

Sugar & Twine has opened a dine-in cafe in the space formerly occupied by Bits + Pixels. (Jack Jacobs photo)

After closing its indoor seating area more than four years ago in response to the pandemic, Sugar & Twine has brought back a sit-down cafe experience in a newly expanded space.

The Carytown bakery started to welcome customers into a new cafe housed in an adjacent storefront last month.

The cafe has seating for 23 people and represents a return to form for the nearly decade-old business after an extended period operating just a walk-up window, owner Beth Orcutt said.

“It’s very much the rebirth of our old space in a new location next door,” she said.

Sugar & Twine closed its original dining room in March 2020 as a safety measure during the COVID-19 pandemic and then built a walk-up service window out of what had been the bakery’s customer entrance.

Orcutt said that the takeout window developed a following and will continue to operate alongside the new dining room, which she was happy to see return as a way to build a deeper bond with patrons and cater to people who want a dine-in experience.

“It’s been great to reconnect with our customers. But we still have the window and still are in a great position to serve people at the window,” she said. “Having the ability to have the cafe and the secondary barista station has been a way to play to both (types of customers).”

Orcutt declined to comment on the investment made to open the bakery’s new cafe.

Chopper Dawson was the project’s general contractor. Fultz & Singh Architects and interior design firm Campfire & Co. also participated in the project.

sugar twine carytown interior.jpg

Sugar & Twine’s new indoor cafe area has seating for more than 20 people and is adjacent to the bakery’s original location. (Courtesy Sugar & Twine)

Sugar & Twine continues to handle production of its baked goods at 2928 W. Cary St., where the business opened nearly a decade ago. The next-door space, at 2930 W. Cary St., is dedicated to the cafe and formerly was occupied by video game shop Bits + Pixels. The bakery’s expansion project had been in the works for more than a year.

The two commercial storefronts leased by Sugar & Twine have different owners and continue to be separated by a wall. With the additional storefront factored in, Sugar & Twine now occupies about 3,000 square feet on the same Carytown block as the Byrd Theatre.

Sugar & Twine sells pastries and other baked goods as well as coffee and sandwiches. The bakery sells coffee sourced from Afterglow Coffee Cooperative and Recluse Roasting Project.

The company also does wholesale baking and sells products to Richmond Restaurant Group, which operates restaurants The Daily Kitchen & Bar, East Coast Provisions and others.

Orcutt opened Sugar & Twine in 2015 after buying and rebranding Capital Coffee and Desserts, which had operated in the same space.

In other Carytown news, a new Art Deco-style welcome sign for the shopping district was recently unveiled by the Carytown Merchants Association. A few doors down from Sugar & Twine, the Byrd movie theater is planning to replace old sections of its auditorium seating.

sugar twine carytown scaled

Sugar & Twine has opened a dine-in cafe in the space formerly occupied by Bits + Pixels. (Jack Jacobs photo)

After closing its indoor seating area more than four years ago in response to the pandemic, Sugar & Twine has brought back a sit-down cafe experience in a newly expanded space.

The Carytown bakery started to welcome customers into a new cafe housed in an adjacent storefront last month.

The cafe has seating for 23 people and represents a return to form for the nearly decade-old business after an extended period operating just a walk-up window, owner Beth Orcutt said.

“It’s very much the rebirth of our old space in a new location next door,” she said.

Sugar & Twine closed its original dining room in March 2020 as a safety measure during the COVID-19 pandemic and then built a walk-up service window out of what had been the bakery’s customer entrance.

Orcutt said that the takeout window developed a following and will continue to operate alongside the new dining room, which she was happy to see return as a way to build a deeper bond with patrons and cater to people who want a dine-in experience.

“It’s been great to reconnect with our customers. But we still have the window and still are in a great position to serve people at the window,” she said. “Having the ability to have the cafe and the secondary barista station has been a way to play to both (types of customers).”

Orcutt declined to comment on the investment made to open the bakery’s new cafe.

Chopper Dawson was the project’s general contractor. Fultz & Singh Architects and interior design firm Campfire & Co. also participated in the project.

sugar twine carytown interior.jpg

Sugar & Twine’s new indoor cafe area has seating for more than 20 people and is adjacent to the bakery’s original location. (Courtesy Sugar & Twine)

Sugar & Twine continues to handle production of its baked goods at 2928 W. Cary St., where the business opened nearly a decade ago. The next-door space, at 2930 W. Cary St., is dedicated to the cafe and formerly was occupied by video game shop Bits + Pixels. The bakery’s expansion project had been in the works for more than a year.

The two commercial storefronts leased by Sugar & Twine have different owners and continue to be separated by a wall. With the additional storefront factored in, Sugar & Twine now occupies about 3,000 square feet on the same Carytown block as the Byrd Theatre.

Sugar & Twine sells pastries and other baked goods as well as coffee and sandwiches. The bakery sells coffee sourced from Afterglow Coffee Cooperative and Recluse Roasting Project.

The company also does wholesale baking and sells products to Richmond Restaurant Group, which operates restaurants The Daily Kitchen & Bar, East Coast Provisions and others.

Orcutt opened Sugar & Twine in 2015 after buying and rebranding Capital Coffee and Desserts, which had operated in the same space.

In other Carytown news, a new Art Deco-style welcome sign for the shopping district was recently unveiled by the Carytown Merchants Association. A few doors down from Sugar & Twine, the Byrd movie theater is planning to replace old sections of its auditorium seating.

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Ed Christina
Ed Christina
19 days ago

Congratulations on your expansion, goodbye to the long lines out on the sidewalks.