A new bread bakery in town promises freshness and health to its customers. Entrepreneurs Tina and Kevin Yancey opened a Great Harvest Bread Co. at 10180 W. Tropicana Ave., Suite 131, and although there are already two locations in Henderson and East Las Vegas, this is the first Great Harvest in the southwest area of town.
The couple mills wheat into whole-grain flour everyday, and then come in each morning before dawn to start baking the various breads and goodies. All breads are hand-kneaded, and the Yanceys use chemical-free wheat and only honey and molasses to sweeten their wares.
"It's a health choice for us, as owners," Tina said.
On a Tuesday morning, customer Kristin Keeney retreated from the store with a loaf of bread in hand.
"I live right down the street," she said. "The bread is fantastic. I tried the garlic cheese bread. It is sinful, but it's really good. All of their breads are made without high fructose corn syrup, so they're definitely health conscious."
The couple also creates mixes, which they sell in the front lobby, including chocolate chip cookie and pancake. Breads offered at the West Tropicana Avenue store include honey wheat, honey white, harvest blend, spinach feta and apple cinnamon chip. According to Tina, Great Harvest bread has a shelf-life of seven to 10 days.
"I love the product, personally," Tina said. "It's delicious healthy, not cardboard-tasting healthy."
Inside the bakery, a window bar provides seating for patrons who want to bask in the smell of fresh bread, and Yancey hopes to bring in musicians to play live music on the outside patio on Thursdays.
"We're big proponents of making it a community hub," Tina said. "Ideally, I would love this to be one of the majority of people's daily stops."
The Yanceys also plan to open up their store to community groups and schools for tours, where students will knead a "little ball of dough and learn the science of making dough," Tina said.
"We're getting back to the style of going to pick up bread at the bakery, said Yancey, who lives 2 1/2 miles from the store. "If we're going to do this for any community, we're going to do it where we live."
"I do my grocery shopping at Smith's, I get my gas in this center and now that they're open, this is where I'll get my bread," Keeney said.
The Yanceys signed a five-year lease with two five-year extensions on the 2,100-square-foot space, and have the rights to open three Great Harvest stores in Las Vegas. They are considering opening one in Northwest Las Vegas, but have no immediate plans.
Nationwide, there are about 240 Great Harvest locations, and Yancey noted that as a reason she choose the franchise.
"It's tried and true," she said.
Hours for Great Harvest Bread Co. are 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The store will add sandwiches to its menu in June, and at the same time open on Mondays.
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