A farmers market favorite, Tacoma sourdough bread bakery quietly opened last week

As the clock ticked toward 8 a.m. on March 19, the ovens inside 1702 6th Ave. had already been hot for several hours. Staff tore down the paper that had been covering the new windows for months and clicked on a neon “open” sign.

Balloon Roof Baking Co. began serving sourdough loaves and bagels, croissants, large slices of topped focaccia, cookies, kouign-amann and more last week. Despite no official announcement, word quickly spread on local forums. Friday was twice as busy as Thursday, said co-owner and lead baker Don Broyles, and he expected their first Saturday to be even busier.

He was modest about it being just their second day, but the loaves looked as lovely as they always have. I sipped an Americano while noshing on a roasted red pepper and chili crisp focaccia, seated at a tucked-away row of tables overlooking the busy intersection of Sixth and Division. Customers breezed mostly in and out, taking goods to-go, while others lingered at a stool in conversation with a friend.

Don and his wife Emily Broyles have been working on their brick-and-mortar bakery since late 2024. They took over the 1920s-era stone structure from longtime tenant It’s Greek To Me, some dishes of which you can find down the street at the yellow Bomb Burger truck. The couple had hoped to open last year, but as it goes, the time and money needed to convert a century-old building into a modern-day bakery evolved.

“I definitely regret trying to start a bakery,” Broyles joked in February when I called for a status update, “but it’s gonna happen.”

Balloon Roof Baking Co. has blossomed from a modest farmers market stall selling 100 or so loaves per event to a booming one in less than five years. At a production-only warehouse in Fife, Broyles and a staff that grew to around two dozen people churned out thousands of loaves each week — plus smaller quantities of croissants, cookies, English muffins, bagels and other pastries. Regulars returned, and new fans fell in line at farmers markets in Proctor, downtown Tacoma and Puyallup. They also offered very limited hours for pickup in Fife as they worked on their permanent digs.

The Broyles plan to retain that bakery as a production hub to continue their market circuit.

Meanwhile on Sixth Ave, they and their construction teams have completely transformed roughly 3,500 square feet into a verifiable retail bakery. It’s a cool stone building with two entrances — one on Sixth and one from a parking lot off South Grant Avenue. Some of the cement floors have been refinished, complemented by new sections of green and pink. Counter seating with white blown-glass orb pendant lights lines the longest wall of the main cafe area, leaving plenty of room for customers waiting their turn. A square area near the parking-lot-side door will eventually host an artisan pantry of sorts with a bent toward products made in house — Broyles envisions pre-packed bags of their own English muffins, for instance, and perhaps eventually fresh and dried pasta, and a few other bread-friendly accoutrements.

Half of the space is dedicated to baking production and all of its necessities, from ample coolers for the lengthy sourdough process to ovens and even a proper kettle to boil bagels.

Around 11 a.m. last Friday, just their second day, they were already out of kouign-amann but had plenty of croissants, cookies, muffins, bagels and loaves. They won’t make any sandwiches to order but plan to offer selections assembled fresh each morning, such as a ham, egg and cheese on a house English muffin.

Broyles and his team have focused intently on freshness — on farmers market days, two vans travel to and from Fife, delivering fresh bread to their tents every couple of hours — and you’ll find that same commitment on Sixth Ave.

To start, Balloon Roof will operate daily 7 a.m.-3 p.m., though selection is best in the morning. Pick-me-up drinks include drip and espresso drinks at the usual prices using Olympia Coffee beans, plus cold cans such as Olipop and sparkling water.

Balloon Roof Baking Co.

• 1702 6th Ave., Tacoma, balloonroof.com
• Daily 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Details: new brick-and-mortar bakery from sourdough specialist soft-open now; expect expanded offerings in coming weeks
• Find also at local farmers markets: Proctor and Puyallup on Saturdays, Tacoma on Thursdays; follow instagram.com/balloonroofbakingco for updates

Reporter’s Note, 5/8/2026: This story has been updated to reflect the bakery’s hours.

This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 12:12 PM.