Recently, we’ve noticed a handful of cool shops and businesses finding a birthplace in unique locations, including people’s homes. Different than “pop-up” shops that use revolving retail spaces, these new shops rely on invite-only sales or single-day sales that invite customers into unique spaces. 

At Brown University, a pair of students host a once-a-month underground bakery, offering up gourmet fare such as sweet homemade pizzas to the 80 or so students who are members of a secret listserv.

From the Brown Daily Herald: 

Jones and Marion came up with the idea for the project while brainstorming how to transform their love of baking and cooking into a plausible business. The bakery was inspired by a secret restaurant in Providence that has since been shut down. “We were hoping to provide a community around food,” Marion said. “Also a social setting for college students on a Saturday night that is not going out to a frat party.”

When the bakery began, the pair hoped it would one day turn into a restaurant with more savory dishes, but, Marion said, “At this point, it seems that a late-night bakery is a good way to attract more of a collegecrowd.”

Of course, the Twin Cities wouldn’t be the Twin Cities without its own underground bakery. Here in Powderhorn Park, the site of Good Work Group “headquarters”, neighbors gather every Wednesday at the home of Margaret and Shelly, also known as the Front Porch Bakery. Not only is it a way for Margaret and Shelly to do what they love and have a business with low overhead and less commitment, but it brings neighbors together every week over a shared love of gourmet goods.

Good ideas don’t need lots of money to take off: They just need a commitment to building community and creating products/concepts that matter.