Cottage Cafe & Bakery is becoming a new gathering space in Sublimity, thanks to local baker and chef Debbie Hagglund.
Hagglund looked at several spaces in the surrounding area searching for the perfect location for her dream to take root. When the building at 519 S. Center St. in Sublimity popped up, she knew shehad found the spot.
“[The building] is a perfect fit and so beautiful,” she said.
Originally a home, the location has undergone significant renovation to become the cozy cafe that it is now. There is also a small event space available for rent for parties and business meetings.
Opening a bake shop has been a lifelong dream for Hagglund ever since she started helping out in her aunt’s bakery when she was 15. After working there for five years, she worked in several bakeries and eateries in hopes of one day owning her own.
In 2011, when Hagglund moved back to the Willamette Valley, she opened Brooks Coffee, a drive-thru coffee stop in Brooks. The cart was open for eight years until COVID-19 hit and Hagglund decided it was time to delve deeper into her true passion: baking.
“I really wanted to be able to do my desserts,” she said. “With the coffee shop… I made a few little desserts but mostly it was coffee. I wanted people to come in and see the pastries.”
The cafe currently offers new menu items every day for locals to try out, with a few staples as exceptions.
“So far, we haven’t put a permanent menu up because what we’re doing is trying different items to see what is positive – what people like and what they don’t –as far as the lunch menu,” Hagglund said.
Pastries are what the entrepreneur is becoming known for in Sublimity. She said the community has been particularly enthusiastic about her scones, cakes, and cinnamon rolls. Aside from these classics, Hagglund said her baked goods will primarily be offered on a rotating basis.
“We want to do daily specials also… there will be a lot more different items available when things are in season,” she said.
In addition to good pastries, Hagglund said her business model is centered around community, both in front of the counter and behind it.
“We [the staff] all work together,” she said. “We’re a team. Not one person is more important or less important than the other because it takes everybody in here doing a job to make sure that everything flows.”
Hagglund aims to make Cottage Cafe & Bakery a comfortable gathering space for customers where their hearts are full as well as their stomachs.
“I want that positive, happy atmosphere like it’s a place you want to go because you feel welcomed and treated well and respected,” she said. “Just like you feel at home… you walk in and it’s like you’re getting a big hug!”
And the community is responding exactly as Hagglund had hoped. Customers have been flooding in, drawn by the warm atmosphere and delicious treats.
“They’re happy,” she said. “They’reexcited to have a place where they cancome together and meet friends and
gather together.”
Cottage Cafe & Bakery
519 S. Center St., Sublimity
Tuesday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
