DETROIT – After announcing it would temporarily close its location in Detroit’s West Village to reconfigure its business model, Sister Pie has been busy hosting pop-ups, experimenting with new menu items and planning for the future.
In May, Sister Pie shared that the bakery would take an interlude to evaluate what’s best for the business moving forward.
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When announcing the news, owner and baker Lisa Ludwinski said, “Although the spirit of Sister Pie is alive and well, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that the business isn’t working in its current state.”
“There are multiple, intersecting factors that contribute to this, most urgently in the form of a financial crisis,” Ludwinski explained in the May announcement. ”The year 2025 (so far) has been about confronting truth, sometimes courageously and in community, and at other times, under a blanket. As a business owner and a leader, I’m learning, reminiscing, mourning, growing, and searching for hope in the midst of challenge and chaos.”
At the time, Ludwinski did not specify how long the rest period would last, but promised pop-ups and other events during the pause, and that’s exactly what they’ve been up to.
Upcoming pop-ups in August and September include appearances at Eastern Market, as well as breakfast and lunch events at Sister Pie’s location at 8066 Kercheval.
Here’s a list of the upcoming pop-ups planned for August and September:
- Saturday, Aug. 16 — Eastern Market
- Tuesday, Aug. 19 — Breakfast at Sister Pie (7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m)
- Friday, Aug. 22 — Lunch at Sister Pie (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
- Saturday, Aug. 23 — Eastern Market
- Saturday, Aug. 30 — Eastern Market
- Tuesday, Sept. 2 — Breakfast at Sister Pie (7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.)
- Friday, Sept. 5 — Lunch at Sister Pie ( 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
- Saturday, Sept. 6 — Eastern Market
“The pop-ups have been so wonderful,” Ludwinski said. “We love seeing familiar faces, and everyone has been so supportive. I’ve also been able to do a bit more experimenting in the kitchen, especially with lunch items that could be in regular rotation when we re-open fully.”
Along with the pop-ups, the bakery is also continuing to take special orders and teach baking classes.
Ludwinski said she’s “grateful to be working at a different pace,” but said that with keeping busy in the kitchen preparing for the pop-ups and classes, it’s been hard to plan for what’s next.
“It’s feeling really challenging to find the time, even within this scaled-back version of Sister Pie, to really sit down and focus on the strategic planning for the future,” Ludwinski said.
However, the bakery plans to set some time aside to strategize after the currently planned pop-ups, and is exploring grant opportunities to support the business during that period.
So, while no reopening date has been set, Sister Pie is still baking away and working on determining the next steps for the business.
In addition to going to one of Sister Pie’s pop-ups, you can keep up with the bakery on its new Substack page.
There are free and paid options of the newsletter, which gives subscribers access to recipes and other special content from the bakery.
Ludwinski said it’s still a work in progress, but she’s excited about having the platform to express herself and share updates about what’s going on with Sister Pie.
For more information about the Substack, visit here.
You can also check out the bakery’s social media for the latest updates.