Bootjack is gearing up for a comeback in downtown Mill Valley, setting its sights on a new spot at 34 Miller Ave. after going quiet at its old Madrona Street storefront. No reopening date has been shared, and the bakery-cafe hasn't said why it closed or how long it's been dark.
According to WhatNow, Bootjack is preparing to reopen at the Miller Avenue address, describing itself as a coffee, bakery and to-go bites spot on the plaza in downtown Mill Valley. The outlet reports that the business has not shared a reopening date, nor has it said why it closed or how long it has been shut. Details about an updated menu, hours or any changes to its offerings also have not been announced.
Per the same report, Bootjack has said its daily offerings are made in the company's commissary kitchen. That detail suggests a leaner operation than the one longtime regulars remember from Madrona Street, where the bakery built its identity around a wood-fired oven.
A Storefront With a Long, Shifting History
Bootjack opened in September 2020 at 17 Madrona St. in Mill Valley, the same report notes, serving naturally leavened breads baked in a built-in Alan Scott wood-fired oven, along with pastries and coffee. Restaurant listings cited by the outlet also show the business offering wood-fired pizzas, salads and other small plates during its run there.
That Alan Scott oven had a life before bread, too. When the bakery-focused concept launched in 2020, it marked a pivot from the wood-fired restaurant model that had occupied the same oven and space the previous summer, serving pizzas and comfort food, according to the Marin Independent Journal. A 2020 account from Enjoy Mill Valley captured the oven's range before that shift, noting it had cooked chickens, pizzas and whole pigs over the years, but never a loaf of bread. That same account described plans for the menu to eventually grow to include square and round pizzas, sandwiches, focaccia and salads.
A year earlier, the oven was still firmly in pizza mode. The Marin Independent Journal's 2019 dining review of Bootjack Wood Fired described a menu built around pizzas alongside dishes like macaroni and cheese, roasted vegetables, wood-fired chicken and pork ribs, plus desserts, beer and wine.
The Space's Bakery Pedigree Runs Deep
The 17 Madrona St. address has a notable pedigree in Marin's baking scene. Bay Village Bakery opened there in 1999, per Enjoy Mill Valley, before its founders went on to open the now-renowned Tartine Bakery in 2002. The Marin Independent Journal reports Bay Village closed in early 2002.
After Bootjack closed at that address, Madrona Bakery moved in, according to Enjoy Mill Valley's 2023 coverage of the space's new owners and their plans to turn it into a multi-faceted community gathering spot. That piece also notes Madrona joins a small cluster of Mill Valley bakeries, including Waldscraft Artisan Bakery on Sunnyside Avenue, Mill Valley Baking Co. on East Blithedale and Le Marais nearby.
For now, the picture of what Bootjack's next chapter looks like remains incomplete. Whether the new Miller Avenue location will lean back toward wood-fired pizzas, stick closer to its bakery-and-coffee roots, or chart something else entirely is still unclear, with the business keeping its menu, hours and opening timeline under wraps.
