Damn Fine Hand Pies is opening a second St. Louis bakery next month, moving into the former Vincent Van Doughnut building at 1072 Tower Grove Ave in The Grove. The new concept, called Damn Fine Anytime, is tentatively set to open in the first half of October with a morning menu built around coffee, pastries, hand pies and grab-and-go breakfast options.
The expansion marks a turning point for a business that started small. According to Sauce Magazine, Damn Fine Hand Pies began as a side venture selling hand pies before founder Madeline Hissong launched the business in 2021, initially baking through the night to prepare up to 1,000 items for weekend crowds at the Tower Grove Farmers Market, according to KSDK. Hissong later brought on Gene Bailey as co-owner, and the pair moved production into a commercial kitchen at Christ Church in Maplewood before opening their first brick-and-mortar location at 4000 Shaw Blvd. in June 2024.
Now the duo says they’ve simply outgrown that setup. Per the same Sauce Magazine report, Hissong and Bailey sought a larger commissary space, and the church basement kitchen in Maplewood could no longer keep pace with demand. Hissong told the outlet she was initially resistant to opening a second location at all, but the need for more production room, plus the opportunity at 1072 Tower Grove Ave, changed her mind.
A Turnkey Bakery Becomes Available
The Tower Grove Avenue building has its own baking pedigree. The space was established as a brick-and-mortar bakery in 2017 by Vincent Van Doughnut founder Vincent Marsden, who had originally launched the doughnut concept out of a vintage food truck in 2014 after winning Cooking Channel’s Donut Showdown, according to Sauce Magazine. Marsden sold the business to employee Michael McKinlay in July 2024, but Vincent Van Doughnut permanently closed the storefront in April, announcing an equipment auction following repeated operational disruptions, per KSDK. Hoodline previously covered the shop’s rocky road before its final shutdown…