CATONSVILLE, Md. — A new bakery has opened its doors in Catonsville, bringing fresh pastries and coffee to a familiar location on Frederick Road.
Roggenart, a bakery and coffee shop chain that started in 2017, celebrated its grand opening Thursday. The location used to be Charlsie's Bakehouse.
"Personally, and business-wise, it's a really good fit," said Brody Tennant, co-owner of the Catonsville location.
Tennant, a Catonsville resident, said the location was chosen intentionally to serve the community's needs.
"We actually wanted to be in Catonsville, one, for my own personal interest, I love having something my own backyard. But two, we like the idea of this staying true to what it was. A bakery," Tennant said. "I think it lays itself out for a bakery, it's a little bit tight, a little bit small. But I think the community needs another bakery."
The building previously housed Charlsie's Bakehouse, which closed before summer so the owners could focus on a new challenge: parenthood. Many in the community wondered what would replace the beloved local bakery.
READ MORE: A popular Catonsville bakeshop is closing, for a good reason
Neman Popov, who founded Roggenart, said the community response has been positive.
"I think the response has been great, people are excited, people are welcoming," Popov said.
Popov jokes that he likes to make neighborhoods "crumbier" – referring to pastry crumbs – and sees his bakeries as community gathering spaces.
"I felt there are more places needed where you can not only serve great honest food made from scratch, but also to have places where people can meet, people can hang out and add content to the community," Popov told WMAR-2 News.
The new owners also broke the 'largest croissant in Maryland,' symbolizing their commitment to breaking bread with their new community.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
