The long wait is over: Bread’s new location in downtown Durango opens Wednesday.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Jeffe Morehart, co-owner of Bread. “It’s just such a beautiful spot.”

For years, Bread has rented a space just off Main Avenue at 135 East Eight St., which abuts the alleyway with Steamworks Brewing Co., with the intention of bringing its baked goods and signature sandwiches to customers in a more centralized location in town.

But for different reasons, the downtown shop has remained vacant, and in more recent months, has been in various stages of construction, leading to a running question for Durango locals: When will Bread’s shop open downtown, if ever?

The definitive answer is 6 a.m. Wednesday.

“We’re all pretty excited to have been able to get it done,” Morehart said.

It was difficult to run Bread while at the same time trying to open a new location, which, in part, resulted in the delayed opening, Morehart said.

But perhaps, even more so, it was founder and co-owner Rob Kabeary’s grand vision for the spot that took so long to see to fruition.

Kabeary died in December at age 61. The downtown shop was mostly built by then, Morehart said.

“He planned out every detail from floor to ceiling,” she said. “He was always good with space and imagining what could be done down there, and this is what we ended up with.”

Kabeary moved to Durango in 2001 and took over what was then called Old Town Bake Shop. He renamed it Bread, and the bakery has gone on to become a Durango staple, located at the same spot, 42 East Animas Road (County Road 250), for all those years.

Baking will continue at Bread’s original location. But unlike the East Animas Road spot, the downtown shop offers seating and an open atmosphere, Morehart said. Many of the same menu items will be found in the new shop, and eventually, Bread would like to offer simple, quick breakfasts.

Morehart said Ska Fabrication did some of the welding work in the building. And a local crew from Yurii Potemkin Construction did all the woodwork and welding to finish the remodel.

The downtown Bread location will be open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Monday and closed Tuesdays. Morehart said there are no special events planned for the grand opening. Instead, it’s business as usual at Bread.

jromeo@durangoherald.com