Gabby Bakes, Tampa’s beloved vegan pop-up, launches fundraiser for Seminole Heights storefront

Earlier this year, when Creative Loafing Tampa Bay asked Gabby Duncan if she ever wanted to open a Gabby Bakes storefront, she responded: “it would be a dream, but I’m also being mindful to scale up comfortably and smartly.”

Just a few months later, Duncan’s dream has come true—but she needs a little community help to make it happen.

With a strong belief system and a “joyful indulgence and a commitment to ethical food practices,” Tampa-based pop-up Gabby Bakes just launched a $20,000 fundraiser to help garner the dough for its debut brick and mortar.

“I started this business about 4 years ago, entirely self-funded and self-taught, fueled by the love of sharing food with friends and their extraordinary reciprocal support that grew over time into being a community’s worth of faith and encouragement in this journey of mine,” Duncan writes on her GoFundMe page. “And now I’m asking for help in growing this baby bakery into its own brick and mortar in Seminole Heights!”

After just one day, Duncan’s fundraiser has earned over $2,500 from her committed customer base.

Donations will help Duncan cover the massive costs of equipment, necessary building renovations, retail licensing,  hiring and training.

According to her GoFundMe page, the Seminole Heights building will initially serve as space for larger-scale commercial production instead of the typical bakery that’s open for service every day. After getting it up and running, Duncan says she’ll open for “weekly or bi-weekly popup-type events,” giving loyal customers a regular taste of her highly-acclaimed small-batch bakes.

In addition to vending at Indie Flea and other foodie events throughout Tampa Bay, Duncan also accepts custom cake orders—another way to support her and her upcoming brick and mortar. All custom cake inquires can be submitted at gabbybakes.com.

Her custom cakes are known for their intricately-piped designs and bright colors, although she regularly slings unique flavors of cookies, cupcakes, brownies and savory pastries, too.

“Support comes in many forms and is not always finance based. I see and am grateful for all the ways y’all have gotten me to this point —be it recommending my biz to someone, sharing my cakes on this here platform, gassing me up. All of it,” Duncan writes on social media.

For the latest updates on Gabby Bakes and its upcoming Seminole Heights space, head to @gabbybakesllc on Instagram.

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This article appears in Jun 8-14, 2023.