Students will soon be able to enjoy a freshly made, locally produced cupcake in walking distance of campus.

Between Faegan’s Café and Pub and Dunkin’ Donuts on South Crouse Avenue, a new bakery will open, aptly named Hot Crouse Buns. The bakery will sell baked goods from other local bakeries in Syracuse, such as Geddes Bakery, Lyncourt Bakery and Harrison Bakery, said Frank Gigliotti, the owner.

“We’re just your typical bakery that doesn’t bake,” Gigliotti said.

Gloria Taylor, the manager of Hot Crouse Buns, said she will be able to customize and decorate cakes whenever students want them. Gigliotti said the bakery should open in the next two weeks, but has been facing difficulties with the city.

Once the bakery opens, Gigliotti said he is not concerned about competition from other local food businesses, because there is not a bakery in the area yet. He added that he is confident that he can also gain a strong student clientele, because there are no campus locations around to purchase a birthday cake.

About two years ago, doctors and nurses who frequented Bayberry Uniform and Shoe store located at 742 S. Crouse Ave. would tell him how they wished they could grab a snack near the three hospitals in Syracuse, said Gigliotti, who is also the owner of the uniform store.

Gigliotti’s customers grew tired of the same options from the Dunkin’ Donuts store on the same block as his store, he said. He added that he also noticed a lot of hospital visitors asking around his uniform store about local stores selling good snacks as gifts for the nurses that helped care for their family members and friends.

In addition, Gigliotti said he witnessed many businesses come through the building that will become Hot Crouse Buns. The bakery is right next to his uniform shop.

“This location just kept turning over and over, and I thought ‘There’s got to be something in here that we can put in that is going to be stable,’” he said.

Before he started the construction on the store, Gigliotti said he brought his 12-year-old daughter to show her the building, “and I said, ‘now all we need is a name.’” Almost instantly, he said his daughter suggested Hot Crouse Buns.

“I didn’t even know that she knew what hot cross buns were,” he said, laughing.

Currently inside the bakery, five refrigerated glass cases facing the front entrance are empty. A cash register sits on a long wooden counter behind the glass cases, along with an unplugged coffeemaker and microwave. The walls in the bakery are painted a bright teal, and there is light wood floor paneling installed.

Across from the long glass cases are three large frames that contain completed Coca-Cola puzzles that, Gigliotti said, were put together by his 88-year-old father.

“It’s a tribute to him,” he said, “and this way he can be a part of it.”

Gigliotti said he hopes to open the bakery in two weeks, once the city of Syracuse permits a right of way for the store.

A right of way, Gigliotti said, is a legal document that says if there is a fire emergency, customers in the store could use the pathway between Faegan’s and Dunkin’ Donuts for evacuation. He said he has been waiting for the right of way permission from the city for six months. This stall may be due to the lack of communication between various departments in the city, Gigliotti said.

“It’s very difficult to get something through the city of Syracuse — too many chiefs,” he said.

Jerry Dellas, who owns Faegan’s and Varsity Pizza with his family, said he believes Hot Crouse Buns will be successful, and will fit in perfectly with the unique quality of the other local and diverse food businesses on Marshall Street and South Crouse Avenue.

The Hot Crouse Buns’ building has been owned by the Dellas family for more than 80 years, said Gigliotti. Only houses used to be near Marshall Street, until Dellas’ grandfather bought one of them, which later became Varsity Pizza.

“Before 2001, everything was run down,” Dellas said. After the city improved the streets, businesses began to thrive and more students frequented the restaurants and stores, he said, and then more national restaurants began to occupy Marshall Street as well.

More foreign restaurants also started coming to Marshall Street as more foreign students attended SU, Dellas said. Gigliotti said he will keep these students in mind when working with outside businesses. For example, he said gluten-free options will be available.

“My thought was, ‘We have such a diverse culture up here. Some people are going to want something specific maybe to their culture or gluten-free specialty options,’” he said.

Dellas echoed this sentiment: “I think we have a little bit of everything here, and that’s what makes us so unique.”

Gigliotti said it seems that the independent businesses tend to thrive more than fail on Marshall Street.

“I think the people of Syracuse are really loyal to the local businesses,” he said.

Gigliotti said he is excited just to see how successful his business will be after he has dreamed and planned out the bakery for so long.

Taylor, manager of Hot Crouse Buns, said she cannot wait to begin the business, as well.

Said Taylor: “I think it’s going to be a total success. For what this poor man has gone through in trying to get this thing open, it has nowhere to go but up.”

Published on April 24, 2014 at 12:56 am

Contact Anna: almerod@syr.edu