Palmer House Bakery, the mother-daughter operation that supplies pastries to JoJo's Espresso, is preparing to open its first independent storefront in Germantown. The shop will take over a 1,150-square-foot space at Thornwood that most recently housed Crave Sweets Bake Shop, giving customers a place to buy Palmer House's cinnamon rolls, scones and custom cakes directly.
The storefront is planned for 1730 Germantown Road, directly across from JoJo's Espresso and next door to Buff City Soap, according to WhatNow. WhatNow describes Palmer House as a shared labor of love between Ashley Pier and her daughter Sophie, who originally launched it; Sophie continues to handle custom cakes while Ashley has taken on a larger operational role as Sophie raises her family, the outlet reports. The Daily Memphian also confirmed that the space was formerly occupied by Crave Sweets Bake Shop.
Grab-and-Go Focus With Room to Grow
The planned format is focused on takeaway rather than a full sit-down café, with limited customer seating, according to the report. Daily baked goods will be available alongside preorders for celebrations and special occasions. Thornwood had previously approached Palmer House about opening a space there, the report says.
The planned interior will draw on European design, according to the report. The bakery expects its existing selection of pastries, cookies, muffins and scones to include seasonal additions, with the menu changing over the course of the year.
JoJo's Partnership Continues
Palmer House plans to keep supplying pastries to JoJo's Espresso, including customer favorites and gluten-friendly offerings, the report notes. A Commercial Appeal report also listed Palmer House cinnamon rolls, cookies, scones and muffins among the coffee shop's offerings.
The new storefront will add a direct retail location for Palmer House while its supply relationship with JoJo's continues.
Eyeing a Thanksgiving Opening
No opening date has been specified, and the bakery's certificate of occupancy remains under review with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development. Ashley Pier hopes customers will be able to pick up Thanksgiving preorders at the Germantown storefront, according to the report.
Thornwood and Storefront Requirements
Thornwood describes its Germantown development as a place for living, dining, shopping, lodging and the arts, according to the development's website, placing the planned bakery among a mix of uses. For food businesses, the Shelby County Health Department's general food-permit guidance calls for two sets of plans and a proposed menu to be submitted for approval. The guidance does not establish Palmer House's specific permit status or detail how its requirements apply to this bakery.
On Instagram, Palmer House Bakery describes itself simply: pastries, cakes and treats, with gluten-free options, currently located inside JoJo's Espresso. The account also notes it does not take orders through direct messages, directing customers instead to an online form. The Germantown storefront would mark the brand's first standalone address outside that coffee shop partnership.
Germantown's dining scene along that stretch continues to shift elsewhere, too. A new brunch option, Sunrise, is planned for an existing building at 7699 Farmington Blvd, per the Commercial Appeal, adding another layer of change to the area as Palmer House prepares its own debut nearby.
