Welcome to Little Rock's Bakery
Community Bakery isn't just a place to get a great pastry or a perfect cup of
coffee — though we do both. For nearly 80 years, we've been a gathering place
for the people who make Little Rock what it is: neighbors, leaders, families,
and friends. We're proud to be part of this city's story.
In 2023, we were honored by the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame as a People's Choice recipient. We're honored by the recognition — but we're more proud of the people
and the story that got us here.
Our Story
Community Bakery opened in 1947, founded by Ralph Hinson in Rose City. Over the decades, it passed through hands that each left their mark on its character.
In 1978, Agnes Bargiel — Hinson's cake decorator — bought the bakery and became one of Little Rock's first women to own a business on Main Street. Agnes created a culture of warmth and generosity that long-time Little Rock residents still remember from their childhood visits.
In 1983, Joe Fox arrived in Little Rock with a background in social activism and a vision for a different kind of gathering place. He expanded the bakery,
introduced espresso to Little Rock before it was common anywhere in the city, and moved Community Bakery to its current home on Main Street — a space where government officials, hospital workers, artists, and neighbors could all sit down together.
Today, Juli and John Brandenberger are proud to carry that legacy forward as Community Bakery's fourth owners. Juli grew up with this bakery as her
neighborhood spot. Together, they're committed to honoring everything that came before while building toward what comes next.
More Than a Bakery
The name Community Bakery has always meant what it says.
We believe a bakery can do more than serve great food — it can create opportunity, offer second chances, and help strengthen the community around it. That’s why we’re proud to employ and support people who are rebuilding, growing, and finding their next step forward.
We believe in giving a hand up, not a handout. And we’re grateful to be a place where people can feel welcomed, valued, and ready to begin again.
Through our CB Gives program, we invest back into the community in two meaningful ways.
Each year, we partner with a Title I school in Little Rock or North Little Rock, helping provide funding for teacher training, student recognition, and resources that support the kids and classrooms that need it most.
We also support hyper-local nonprofits through our monthly Round Up initiative. Guests can round up their purchase at checkout, and those funds go directly to organizations doing meaningful work in our community — from groups like Arkansas Foodbank, Friends of the Little Rock Animal Village, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Free Mom Hugs Arkansas, and other local partners serving our neighbors in real, practical ways.
For us, giving back is not a side project. It’s part of who we are. When you buy from Community Bakery — whether it's a morning croissant or catering for 100 — you're part of that too.
Come as you are. There's always room at our table.
