An upcoming bakery cafe will continue the Al and Ernie’s name in Battle Ground at the same location as the former grocery store.
The building that Al and Ernie’s Bakery Cafe will soon call home resides on the eastern end of Battle Ground’s Old Town, which housed the local, beloved grocery for native “Battle Groundians” beginning in the 1950s.
The ownership team of Al and Ernie’s Bakery Cafe hopes to open early fall as the building is transformed from the once beloved grocery store to a place of community, smells of fresh baked goods, locally roasted coffee and more.
Prior to embarking on the venture, investors Camden and Mac Spiller had been considering the previous grocery front as well as brainstorming ideas that would help fill a void in Battle Ground.
“We really miss Hockinson Cafe because that was, you know, if you wanted to meet a buddy, a contractor for breakfast or just meet a friend or whatever, that was the place, and when that shut down, it really left a void,” Camden Spiller said.
A Facebook post in the spring of 2023 kick-started community interest in the upcoming bakery cafe with the familiar name, and the group of friends managing the operation have appreciated the feedback and support.
For head baker and kitchen manager Joylyn Bowen, paying homage to a previous location comes with family ties — her grandfather and uncle founded the original grocery store. As well, Bowen and her husband, Devin, were looking to expand their bagel bakery, which they started at home. Their friends the Spillers had already bought the location with aspirations for a bakery.
“Ernie Dunning was my grandfather and Alvie Dunning was his cousin and they went into business in the ’50s and started a grocery out in Amboy or Yacolt and then in Battle Ground,” Joylyn Bowen said. “... I never thought that we would have this opportunity, and so to be able to be in that building that my grandpa and uncle started and built and then my parents worked in as kids and that it’s just so special to our community; it just means the world to us.”
The group of friends hope their bakery will help spruce-up that part of Old Town. They joked that building a store from the ground up may have been easier, but the full remodel will turn the once-grocery store into a cozy hub for Battle Ground’s Old Town district and northern Clark County.
Seating options placed along the southside of the building will have windows to allow natural light in. The windows are strategically cut out higher than normal to not interfere with laptop screens for the working crowd. Devin Bowen, general manager, also hinted that if the pre-dawn rush of customers stops by before hours, there’s a chance they won’t have to wait for the official hours to get a drink and bite to eat.
As for a menu, the team plans to bring “fresh, baked in front of you” pastries, a cafe breakfast, bagels, numerous breads and more. The bakery will include a full coffee bar with coffee from the Fox Coffee Company, roasted in Yacolt.
The team hopes to cater to multiple crowds of clientele along with providing employment and mentorship of young workers.
“One of the things that’s important to this team is there’s an awful lot of business experience of different types on the team,” Devin Bowen said. “And it’s one thing to run a business. It’s another thing to turn that business into something that’s specifically aimed at serving both the community and the workforce.”
He added the bakery cafe recently had a staff meeting where one employee pointed out the operation is more than just a business to them.
“Bread is an image for life and sustenance, and so that’s the kind of bakery and the kind of establishment we want to have where people feel like they come in and they feel like it’s not my home, but it sort of feels homey, and it feels like this is a place I could stay for a while, and I know these people, and they know me, and they know my family,” Devin Bowen said. “So that’s the kind of place we want to be.”
To learn more and stay up to date, find Al and Ernie’s Bakery Cafe online at alandernies.com and on Instagram and Facebook under the company tag.
