A home bakery known online for its custom cakes is set to open a storefront inside the former Silver Grove School, marking an early milestone in the Northern Kentucky building's mixed-use redevelopment. Little Red's Bakery, founded by Rachel Dennis, is leaving behind her home kitchen in Forest Park, Ohio for a storefront at 101 W. Third St. in Silver Grove, with an opening targeted for early 2027.
The bakery's new home sits inside a 68,000-square-foot building that once housed generations of Silver Grove students, according to Cincinnati Business Courier. Property owners Penny and Paul Dennis — who happen to be Rachel Dennis's in-laws — purchased the vacant school in July through their company, Compass Leasing LLC, according to the same outlet. Their plans call for a mixed-use redevelopment.
As Local 12 reports, an exact opening date and operating hours for Little Red's Bakery have not yet been determined, and the total investment required for the broader redevelopment has not been disclosed.
From Home Kitchen to Brick-and-Mortar
Dennis started Little Red's Bakery in 2021, and the business went full-time in June 2023, the business courier's report notes. Working out of her home, she specialized in custom cakes. The bakery is moving from her home kitchen into the school building acquired by her in-laws, giving it its first storefront.
Clearing the Path for Redevelopment
Campbell County's Planning and Zoning Commission then approved a zone map amendment and stage-one adaptive reuse plan covering roughly 4.7 acres on August 11, clearing the way for a mixed-use complex, according to LINK nky. Alongside the bakery, the approved plans call for a gymnasium, beauty salon suites, a daycare, additional retail space, and event space, all without requiring substantial new construction. Campbell County Planning and Zoning Principal Planner Kirk Hunter said at the time that Silver Grove currently lacks walkable commercial options, leaving residents to drive to neighboring communities like Cold Spring or Alexandria for basic services.
A Railroad Town's School Building Finds New Purpose
The Silver Grove Independent School District held its final day of instruction in 2019 before merging into Campbell County Schools on July 1, 2019, per LINK nky's earlier reporting. Founded in 1911, the district had slightly more than 200 students at the time of consolidation.
Silver Grove itself was founded that same year as a railroad town for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The town sits along the Ohio River. With Little Red's Bakery set to open in the former school, residents may soon have one more local option for a treat.
