Writing on a window announces that a gluten-free cafe and hard cider bar will soon open at 133 Main St. in downtown Damariscotta. The business, Butter Up Cakes, has roots in Bangor. (Hailey Bryant photo)
Butter Up Cakes, a gluten-free bakery, cafe, and cider bar, will open in Damariscotta this month after two years in Bangor.
Candice and Patrick Brady first opened their business in 2018, inspired by their daughter, who has celiac disease. Butter Up Cakes is a place where people with food allergies can find gluten- and dairy-free food options. They also offer some sugar-free options.
The bakery will offer cakes, cookies, danishes, and muffins, as well as bagels and sandwiches.
The family left Bangor for Patrick Brady’s job at the Damariscotta construction firm Hagar Enterprises Inc. and saw the vacancy left by the boutique Two Fish this spring. They leased the space in early November and hope to open by mid-December.
“We’re shooting for Dec. 14, but everything’s on the fence because of COVID,” Candice Brady said.
Butter Up Cakes will soon open in a storefront at 133 Main St. in downtown Damariscotta. The space was formerly home to the Two Fish boutique. (Hailey Bryant photo)
The Damariscotta location will add a new feature to the business — a hard cider bar. All of the ciders will be gluten-free, from makers in Belfast and Stockton Springs, and the business will also offer a gluten-free beer. The Bradys plan to have a rotating drink menu to showcase as many small businesses as possible.
“Maine has an amazing selection of hard ciders made in state,” Candice Brady said. “We really wanted to showcase that, so you can come in and enjoy a gluten-free meal and a Maine-made hard cider.”
Plexiglass shields will be installed to protect customers and employees, and Butter Up Cakes will offer takeout only until further notice.
Candice Brady hopes that after the pandemic, when dine-in service is safer, the business will have “a laid back, homey feel.”
She does all the baking herself and said that she also makes pasta, borscht, and pierogies inspired by her husband’s Polish heritage. All will be available at Butter Up Cakes.
Butter Up Cakes will be located at 133 Main St. in Damariscotta.
