Bennington cafe expanding, moving to space downtown

BENNINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10) -- Nicole Bozeman has owned the cafe at 704 Main Street in Bennington since the summer of 2022. She officially renamed it The Local in January 2023 and is now moving the cafe downtown to 434 Main Street.

The cafe used to be called Love A Bagel. In July 2022, former owner Paula Cross announced she was closing the business after 10 years. Bozeman then bought the shop and reopened less than a month later.

Bozeman had moved to Vermont from Texas and opened her flower and gift shop in Bennington called Wild Blossom. The store was previously located at 318 North Street before it closed.

"Every since we closed Wild Blossom, we had been looking for a space downtown for the bakery portion of it," Bozeman told NEWS10. "Now, it's all coming together. We wanted to be a part of the bustle of downtown."

The space at 434 Main Street was previously Bringing You Vermont, which had a cafe and sold Vermont-made products. Bozeman said this location is bigger than the current space. Not only will 434 Main Street house The Local, it will also include Wild Blossom and a retail space called Etc., owned by Bozeman's friend.

With the larger space, Bozeman said they'll be able to make more baked goods, have more space for seating, and they plan to expand the menu to include espresso drinks and salads. The Local's current menu features soups, sandwiches, wraps, fruit, yogurt, granola, pastries, and bagels.

Bozeman is currently renovating the new space and hopes to open at the beginning of April. She's planning on only closing in the 704 Main Street space for a day or two before opening at 434 Main Street.