Popular Vegan Bakery Gets a Permanent Home in East Nashville

While Beca-Lew Skeels of Leeuw Bake Shop stays busy supplying quirky and adorable vegan baked goods to multiple locations across Nashville, she also spends time herding cats (in the literal sense) at her own animal sanctuary. Her two passions now collide in The Catio, a vegan bakery, cat lounge, and cat-safe plant-purveyor that will open at 1603 Riverside Drive in East Nashville this fall. Skeels has partnered with Anna Talaga to open the brick-and-mortar bakery, lounge, and store in the former Atomic Nashville location. The duo posted on Instagram that they applied for a building permit earlier this week, and are hoping for an October opening, according to the Nashville Scene.

Because people eat with their eyes first, it’s no surprise that Skeels’ followers first became captivated with her work on Instagram. They’ve since become real-life fans of her tasty and visually impeccable vegan macaroons, cupcakes, cakes, hand pies, and cinnamon rolls, thus prompting the need for a permanent location.

Both sweet-toothed vegans and professional cat cuddlers alike can follow along with The Catio on Instagram to see Skeels’ stunning creations and stay up to date on the progress (plus see some cute felines - and heck, maybe decide to adopt one?). Talaga’s foster kittens have their own Instagram page, where potential parents can preview some of future cat lounge tenants. Not a cat fan? There will be a separate entrance to the fully vegan bakery while cat lovers revel in purrs and furry company on the feline side.

Leeuw Bakery Announces Brick-and-Mortar Bakery and Cat Cafe [Nashville Scene]