On a recent stay in Santa Fe, my brother texted something about a friend’s daughter’s bakery. We only had two days, so I ignored the message—until we were looking for a quick breakfast stop. From now on, I’m listening to my big brother. Bread Shop turned out to be a highlight, yes, for baked goods—its sour dough boules must be the best in Santa Fe, they’re that good. And also as a model of utilitarian chic.
Self-taught baker Jacob Brenner opened in January 2020, six weeks before the pandemic hit, with his brother, Zac, an artist, as his lone helper. The response was so wildly enthusiastic that Jacob’s wife, Mayme Berman, lent a hand during the daily rush—and soon stepped in as Bread Shop’s chief business and aesthetics officer. At the time, they were located in a tiny storefront across from their current location in a lively creative enclave known as Lena Street, aka the local’s alternative to Canyon Road. (Jacob’s parents happened to be the first to develop Lena Street in 1999—”it was a really rundown bus yard on a dead end,” says Mayme—and are their landlords.)
Bread Shop has since become a community hub assembled with help from friends and family: at the get-go Daniel Strongwater designed the playful bread-shaped logo; Jacob’s mother, Rachel Watson, a ceramic artist who works a fews doors down, supplies Bread Shop’s dishware; and regular Joey Blaha came up with the memorable curtains. If you’re in town, I’d make a beeline for Bread Shop and its neighboring shops and cafés. In the meantime, take away some shoestring remodeling inspiration.
Photography by Krysta Jabczenski unless noted, all courtesy of Bread Shop (@bread.shop.sf).
1. Learn from what came before.
2. Discover furniture designs on open-source sites.
Mayme wasn’t able to find the exact open-source design, but notes this CNC Plywood Table Project on Etsy comes close; the plans for it start at $3.23.
The couple added the concrete floor before moving in: “It was previously an exercise studio with slippery laminate flooring that was essentially plastic and wouldn’t last,” Mayme tells us. “We didn’t want fake materials. The concrete brings it back to a calm, stripped-down workspace—and it never looks dirty.” As for their vintage metal ceiling lights, they’re hand-me-downs that came out of a friend’s basement. Mayme dreams of powder-coating them butter yellow.
3. Stick with hardworking, display-worthy everyday tools.
Above: Bread shop’s dish towels and aprons are from Linen Tales: “you can use and wash them, and use and wash them and they still look great,” says Mayme. “Jacob even uses the towels as potholders.”
Jacob learned to cook during college and after by working in several popular Portland, Oregon, restaurants. He started baking on his own—obsessively honing his skills through trial and error and by studying Tartine-founder Chad Robertson’s books and Maurizio Leo’s website, The Perfect Loaf. When The Perfect Loaf cookbook came out, Bread Shop held a book party for Maurizio, who lives in Albuquerque. Photograph by Kim Richardson.
4. Celebrate local talent.
“We happened to have an extra worktable that Matty retrofitted to house his espresso machine and accoutrements,” says Mayme. “He roasts his beans just down the road.” Pivot’s cups are different from Bread Shop’s so they don’t get mixed up—they’re made by Kimmy Rorhs, the mutual friend whose ceramics studio and shop, Whiskey + Clay, is right across the street. Kimmy also made the carafe/vase that holds the bread knives shown above.
5. Source well-priced shelves and chairs from restaurant and industrial suppliers.
Mayme, 35, and Jacob, 37, both went to Lewis & Clark and met when they were living in Portland, Oregon, post-college and both working in hospitality: Mayme was previously in sales for craft breweries and a winery. The two moved together to Santa Fe: “It was a landing place for us before traveling,” she says, “but we never left.” Jacob and his team start baking in-house at 4 am. Photograph by Grace King Palmer.
6. Splurge on impactful upgrades.
Note the Stand Dustpan and Lobby Broom—they’re made by Santa Fean Hannah Beatrice Quinn.
- Bread Shop is at 1703 Lena Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm.
- Featured photograph by Grace King Palmer.
- Another favorite Lena Street spot is Ozu, a Japanese restaurant and market, located in Bread Shop’s original space.
- For a Santa Fe place to stay, consider El Rey Court—it’s from the couple behind Wonder Valley.
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