The Bread Pedalers, a new bakery and café in West Allis, now plans a spring 2022 opening
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A new bakery and café in West Allis being started by a pair of bike racing sisters is planning a spring 2022 opening.
The Bread Pedalers, 1436 S. 92nd St., originally planned to open in 2021.
Owners Samantha and Skylar Schneider, both professional cyclists, shared the news on the bakery's website this week.
"We were given some token advice very early on in the process of opening a bakery and café: however long you think it is going to take to get everything ready before you open, add a few months," the two said in their update.
When reached by email, the two said they couldn't pin down a month for the opening, but are hoping May at the latest.
"We have been quietly working on a lot of different aspects of getting the bakery open for the past year," they said. "The biggest hold-up was getting our building plans approved by the city's building department, but now that those have been approved, we can confidently push ahead with momentum."
Idea took shape during pandemic
The birth of the business can be traced to the start of the global pandemic and the accompanying lockdown.
In March 2020, like the rest of the world, the sisters spent more time at home.
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For Skylar, it meant devoting more time to baking.
"While I was in quarantine, I was making bread for myself, trying to replicate the fresh bread I was enjoying in Europe from bakeries," Skylar said in February 2021. "That’s when I had the idea to find a way to make fresh bread for friends and family."
She started a bread club, which proved to be successful, and by September 2020, with the club still growing, Samantha's husband Andy Lopac convinced the two to open a standalone bakery.
Busy year for the Schneider sisters
This past year has been a busy one for both sisters.
Skylar had an incredible season on the bike, winning 21 races and prompting VeloNews to publish an article with the headline, "The summer of Skylar Schneider."
Samantha, a licensed real estate agent, has kept busy with her job at Corcoran Realty & Co. She and Lopac also welcomed their first baby, Henry, in July.
Lopac and his contracting business, Best in Class Remodeling, have been helping the sisters get the business going. That included working with the city on rezoning, demolition and securing necessary building permits.
Some of the noticeable changes on the outside of the property include the removal of overgrown weeds and roots behind the bakery and the construction of a privacy wall. A bicycle parking area is planned.
The building itself has been painted a bright white.
Now the two appear to have the finish line in sight and they said the renovation is in "great hands" with Best in Class Remodeling.
"We are thrilled to have this target for a spring opening and will do our best to keep it on schedule."
Contact Bob Dohr at 262-361-9140 or bob.dohr@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BobDohr1.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Spring 2022 opening eyed for The Bread Pedalers bakery in West Allis
