Good Bread for All creates a welcoming space on Broadway with gluten-free and vegan pastries

Since starting Good Bread for All in 2022, local baker Sarah Thompson has been focused on supporting the Fort Wayne community. Through baking small-batch sourdough loaves, she was able to practice mutual aid and show her love for the community.

Rachel Von ArtSarah Thompson works on laminating croissant dough.“I set up Good Bread to be a facilitator for redistribution of a resource,” she says. “I was the conduit, but my customers were paying extra to share with others, while some were claiming the free loaves that others pre-paid for.”

For many months Thompson spent her time trying to help others, but then she decided to take a hiatus to prioritize focusing on her mental health.

"There were people in my life that made it difficult for me to pursue this dream,” she explains. “I was able to go to therapy, grow as a person, and free myself from some unhealthy relationships. Once I felt I was on a more stable path, I could return to my passion and bake again.”

Now, Good Bread for All has returned with a new bakery on Broadway, but this time with less bread and more Parisian-inspired baked goods. Located in the space that was once occupied by The Hedge, Good Bread for All caters to a variety of dietary restrictions, including gluten-free and vegan.

Rachel Von ArtCustomers look at Good Bread for All's selection of baked goods.
While the business has undergone an evolution, Thompson has managed to keep the community at the center of her business.

“I believe that everyone, no matter who they are or what kind of dietary needs they have, deserves to have good food,” Thompson says. 

Rachel Von ArtFrom left: Mandy Hall, Hilary Hontz, and Sarah Thompson react after seeing the crowd of supporters during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.Beyond good food, she says she hopes her bakery will be a welcoming and safe space, where customers are not just tolerated but rather celebrated for who they are.

“To see a pride flag displayed on our window, to be queer-owned, to identify as a feminist, to be a woman– it is who we are,” she says. “It's who our customers are too. They're drawn to us because they're also queer, or they are an ally, and they want to spend their dollars at a place that values everyone.”

Thompson is working alongside her wife, Hillary Hontz, who helps handle the front of the house, ringing up customers, and her best friend and lead baker Mandy Hall, who works full-time to keep the bakery stocked.

In some ways, customers lining up for these pastries have Hontz to thank for the return of Good Bread for All. She inspired Thompson to bake gluten-free items in the first place and inspired her to start baking again after taking a hiatus.

As a baker, Thompson’s love language is baking for the people she cares about. So, upon learning that Hontz was gluten-free, Thompson felt she needed to create her own gluten-free bread to impress her.

“I thought, ‘I'm going to make her the best gluten-free bread,’ and it worked,” Thompson says. “She loved it and I got to practice and get better at something that our city really needs.”

Rachel Von ArtPistachio Paris BrestsHontz says she’s thankful for her wife’s character and dedication to making good bread for all.

“I'm not vegan, but her ethos in switching to gluten-free and vegan– it is good bread for all,” Hontz says. “By offering gluten-free and vegan options she can offer delicious bread and pastries to everyone, and you wouldn't even notice that they're gluten-free or vegan.”

Thompson’s care for her community is evident and now, based on the overwhelming response to the storefront, it’s clear her community cares about her too. 

Customers hoping to snag a treat like vegan and gluten-free Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons, Pistachio Paris Brest, Pistachio White Chocolate Scones, as well as croissants, quiche, or hand pies from Good Bread for All might want to show up early. The bakery opens at 9 a.m. Friday through Sunday, but Thompson says a line has been forming each morning before they open and pastries have been selling quicker than Thompson and Hall have been able to bake them. 

Rachel Von ArtCustomers wait in line during the grand opening of Good Bread for All, 1016 Broadway, Fort Wayne, IN.“Before we've opened each day there's a line forming and that line is steady for the duration of our open hours,” she explains. “We're having to stay late and bake more for the next day even though we thought we prepped enough for all weekend.”

They’ve been working to pivot to meet the high demand since the bakery’s opening on March 30, including hiring additional staff members and pulling all-nighters to replenish their supply. 

If there are leftovers, Thompson donates the extra pastries to the Forward Indiana food pantry located in front of Fancy and Staple as a way to give back.

Rachel Von ArtLead Baker Mandy Hall works on filling a pistachio crème puff.Even with positive community feedback and a bustling business, the journey to this point hasn’t been without trouble. Thompson experienced major setbacks that had the potential to end her dream of opening a storefront. Last fall she lost $40,000 in funding from family members who were investors. That loss, Thompson says, was deeply personal, as she believes was in part due to her marrying Hontz. 

“Who I choose to marry is not something that should be dependent on someone's investment in my business,” she says. “As soon as we had a date set for our wedding, they had decided that they would not be able to invest in the business. They actually had bought a food truck for me and they rescinded that. They came and picked it up and took it away, so it was very blatant to me what was happening.”
Rachel Von ArtOwner Sarah Thompson hugs customer Eden Bailey during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.
Despite those struggles, she continued to push forward. Leaning on community members, supporters, and a fundraiser that helped raise $10,000, Thompson was able to open. Even though the loss of her original investors could’ve been detrimental to the business, Thompson says she sees it as a positive.

“There were contingencies with them about how I ran the business and now that they're not a part of it I can be as authentic as I want, and so it's actually been great,” she explains. 

The experience has brought her closer to her customers and has turned some of her customers into close friends, carving out a newfound family. 

“Just being queer you have to kind of make your own family,” Thompson says. “Helping organize food pantries and doing a lot of community work and protests and activism I've learned that like we are so much better together.”

Thompson’s dream for a safe and welcoming space appears to be coming true. Even with long lines, customers are leaving with new treats and new friends. Some utilize the cozy seating to read a book, basking in the natural light that pours in from the giant front windows. Some enjoy their baked treats with an americano or oat milk latte, two of the store’s current coffee options. Some have even celebrated their birthdays at the bakery. 

Rachel Von ArtAnn Aylward enjoys reading a book while enjoying gluten free treats at Good Bread for All.“We've had people say that they can't wait to come in every Sunday and crochet and they already have their table picked out,” Thompson says.

In addition to an inviting atmosphere, customers are expressing their appreciation for the variety of gluten-free options at Good Bread for All– something that is helping drive customers to the bakery, especially those with Celiac disease. 
 
Customers who stop by the bakery are stocking up, purchasing for themselves as well as their friends. One customer, Becky Hullinger, who has Celiac disease, purchased over $100 worth of baked goods at the grand opening. 

Rachel Von ArtOrange and Lavender Dark Chocolate Mini Bunt Cakes“It’s wonderful that we have a place in town and we appreciate the wonderful gluten-free items,” says Hullinger. Other customers, such as Corey and Jodi Fester stopped by the stop the first week it was open to purchase baked goods for their daughter, who is gluten-free.

Thompson says she has high hopes for her bakery and its community impact. 

“I want this to be a place where people can gather and build community,” she explains. “I want people to meet new friends here. I want the community and I want activists to have this be a meeting place for them. I want queer, I want trans people, I want people of color to feel like they can work here and that there's no prejudice and that they can just be treated in a way that is of mutual respect. I want to be an example for other restaurants and businesses to see that small businesses can pay a livable wage and that you can put people over profit. I wanna destigmatize what veganism looks like and what gluten-free tastes like.”

Rachel Von ArtThe Good Bread for All staff celebrate moments before cutting the ribbon.Good Bread for All is located at 1016 Broadway in Fort Wayne, IN. The bakery is open Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with additional hours on First Fridays from 5-9 p.m.

More photos from Good Bread for All's first week:

Rachel Von ArtCustomers wait in line during the grand opening of Good Bread for All, 1016 Broadway, Fort Wayne, IN.
Rachel Von ArtOwner Sarah Thompson addresses the crowd during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.Rachel Von ArtCity Councilman Geoff Paddock speaks during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.Rachel Von ArtCustomers line up down the block during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.Rachel Von ArtOwner Sarah Thompson makes a coffee for a customer during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.Rachel Von ArtOwner Sarah Thompson, left, and her wife, Hilary Hontz, celebrate after cutting the official ribbon during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.Rachel Von ArtOwner Sarah Thompson, left, speaks with city Councilman Geoff Paddock, who came out to show his support during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.Rachel Von ArtThe display case full of vegan and gluten free treats.Rachel Von ArtLead Baker Mandy Hall, left, and Owner Sarah Thompson celebrate after cutting the official ribbon during the grand opening of Good Bread for All.Rachel Von ArtCustomers wait in line during the grand opening of Good Bread for All, 1016 Broadway, Fort Wayne, IN.Rachel Von ArtGood Bread for All Owner Sarah Thompson rolls up croissants.Rachel Von ArtLead Baker Mandy Hall grabs a to go box.Rachel Von ArtSara Ofner-Seals, right, and Barrett Seals enjoy baked goods and the atmosphere at Good Bread for All.