Congress Park Bakery Suddenly Closes After 20 Years

For over 20 years, Under the Umbrella Cafe and Bakery has been a staple of the Congress Park neighborhood. Owners/partners Jull Tuggle and Kat Rooney offered a tight and satisfying menu of egg-and-cheese sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and homemade pastries. 

But according to an Instagram message posted on the bakery’s account, Under the Umbrella is no more. 

“It is true. I have closed my doors permanently,” reads the post attributed to Tuggle. “The decision was difficult but necessary. I have taken the past two days to tell staff, landlord, vendors, and sit with it. Words cannot express my gratitude for this community and its support over the past 20 years. Congress Park has been my home.” 

While restaurants, bakeries, and other eateries in Denver often come and go, this loss hits hard for residents of the neighborhood, who have come to call the cafe a true third place. It was an early advocate and gathering place for the Denver LGBTQIA+ community, with its highly visible corner location proudly displaying the Progress Pride Flag colors on its umbrella logo. 

Free wifi attracted the remote workers, as did its gourmet deli sandwiches, while fresh-baked cookies brought in lines of children ready for their after-school snack. It was a gathering place for events, work and, for many, part of the daily routine of life. 

But according to Tuggle, the headwinds facing the business proved too great a challenge even with the cafe’s popularity. 

“I simply cannot continue operation and navigate this impossible economy any longer,” she wrote. “I have spent many years juggling finances, my health, and my family trying to make it work. The closure was sudden and certainly not perfect but it was what had to be done.”

The closure is a sad counterpoint to the many homegrown bakeries expanding their footprint in the Denver area. Trompeau Bakery, for instance, is expanding to a third location, this one in Cherry Creek. Others, like Reunion Bread, Poulette Bakeshop and Good Bread, have moved into larger facilities to increase production. 

Under the Umbrella had expanded to a second location at 300 Elati Street, which closed shortly after during the pandemic. And now, the original Congress Park location follows that move. At the moment, there’s no last-day sale or countdown to closure; the doors are just locked. But Tuggle and crew have hinted that a sendoff may be in the cards, and have encouraged fans to keep an eye on their Instagram account for updates. 

“I would love to throw a party to have the opportunity to say goodbye,” she writes. I’ll keep you posted.”