Damn Fine Hand Pies is expanding to the Grove with a second location, Damn Fine Anytime, at 1072 Tower Grove Ave. The bakery is hoping to open the new location in the first half of October.
The new shop will take over the former Vincent Van Doughnuts space, which was already equipped for bakery production. Damn Fine owners Madeline Hissong and Gene Bailey were able to purchase most of the existing equipment, making the transition considerably easier than starting from scratch.
But opening a second storefront wasn’t initially part of the plan. The pair had actually been looking for a larger commissary space after outgrowing their longtime production kitchen in the basement of a church in Maplewood. “I was super resistant to it at first because I was like, we’re just babies,” Hissong said. “We’ve only been open two years. You know, it’s crazy to think about opening a second one.”
Still, the numbers and logistics continued to fall into place. The rent was significantly below the maximum the team had budgeted, and they found an affordable way to purchase the equipment already in the space. “Everything that was causing me to have concerns just kept working out,” Hissong said.
The new space will serve a dual purpose: It will give Damn Fine more room for production while also creating an opportunity for the team to experiment with new offerings. One of the biggest additions will be a laminated pastry program led by pastry chef Saphira Bustos.
Bustos has been with Damn Fine since the beginning, originally joining the team as a front-of-house cashier and barista before moving into the kitchen. They eventually began working the morning bake and making hand pies, and about a year ago, Bustos approached Hissong with an idea: They wanted to make croissants.
Hissong didn’t have the time to develop an entirely new pastry program herself, so she gave Bustos the opportunity to spend several months researching and developing the recipes. The result will become a major part of Damn Fine Anytime’s morning menu, with croissants, other breakfast pastries and breakfast sandwiches served on house-made croissants or brioche.
“They’ve just taken the opportunity and turned it into something just incredibly beautiful and delicious,” Hissong said. “I really want to highlight the work that they’ve done.”
The morning menu at Damn Fine Anytime will start smaller than the offerings at the Shaw location, with less of an emphasis on an extensive made-to-order menu. Instead, the focus will be on coffee, pastries, hand pies and other grab-and-go breakfast options.
The evening will bring a different side of Damn Fine. Hissong plans to bring back pizza, which she previously made at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, along with hot sandwiches, pies, paninis, and more. “We’re definitely going to bring back pizza,” Hissong said. “It’s going to be a little bit different than it was at the farmers market to make more sense for a retail location.”
The team is also workshopping hoagie rolls and sandwiches, including Bailey’s favorite, the meatball sub. Eventually, the owners hope to develop the location into a late-night destination, with pizza and hand pies among the offerings for people looking for something to grab on their way home.
The expansion marks a significant step for a business Hissong started in 2021 at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market. What began as a side venture selling hand pies while she worked full time grew into a full-fledged bakery, with Hissong and Bailey opening Damn Fine’s first brick-and-mortar location at 4000 Shaw Blvd. in June 2024. Since then, Damn Fine has continued to expand its St. Louis presence, including serving as a food vendor at Energizer Park. “Even having just one location is more than I ever could have imagined when I started doing this,” Hissong said.
At Damn Fine Anytime, Hissong hopes to reach a different type of customer than the Shaw location, particularly with the earlier opening time. The tentative plan is to open from 6 a.m. to noon seven days a week, with evening hours potentially running from 6 p.m. to midnight on select days.
With the Grove location, Hissong sees an opportunity to serve people heading to work, along with nearby hospital and Cortex employees. “I would love to start people’s day off really nice,” Hissong says
For now, Hissong and Bailey are taking the expansion slowly and intentionally, letting the new location’s menu and hours evolve as they learn what works. “We’re both just really excited to get started and see who our new regulars are going to be,” Hissong says.