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A well-known Upper West Side bakery recognized for its unique cookies and its commitment to giving back is upgrading to a larger space just a couple blocks away from its current outpost, which opened in 2021.
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Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods — creator of the much-buzzed-about Pie Crust Cookie — will be opening a new 2,400 square foot storefront at 434 Amsterdam Avenue (at 81st Street), founder and owner Janie Deegan announced in an Instagram video shared earlier this month, adding that she’s planning to open in the spring.Regarding the current space at 212 West 80th Street, which opened four years ago, Deegan ILTUWS “It will close in its current capacity, but we’ll be keeping the space for at least another two years as a commissary kitchen — and possibly as a cake studio, depending on how popular the cake program becomes at the new location.”
“80th is my first child so I’d be really sad to part with the space,” Deegan added.
The Amsterdam Avenue space was most recently occupied by Malaysian restaurant Kancil, and before that, Wau (Salil Mehta was behind both projects). Asking rent was reportedly $200 per square foot, according to Commercial Observer, with brokers noting that interest in the space was strong.
“Surprisingly, there were a lot of tenants that made offers close to the asking price. So that was an encouraging sign,” Gary Dana of Douglas Elliman, who represented the building’s owners, told Commercial Observer. He added that Janie’s track record — including locations on West 80th Street, Christopher Street, and East Harlem — helped seal the deal.
Janie’s, which brands itself as the “Home of the Pie Crust Cookie,” has become a local favorite since arriving on the Upper West Side in 2021, even landing a spot on our viral Upper West Side Cookie Crawl. The bakery’s inventive pie-cookie hybrids come in flavors like triple berry, chocolate, pecan, and apple, each with the trademark flaky base and buttery streusel top. Other offerings include Pie Crust Bites and Half-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies — crispy on the outside, chewy within.
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Regarding the new menu, Deegan says it will include “All our classics plus custom cakes and so many fun new goodies — a true ode to where it all began.”Deegan’s personal story has long been part of the pull. On her website, she details how baking became both a livelihood and a lifeline as she rebuilt her life after struggling with addiction and homelessness in her early twenties. What began as an act of self-care evolved into a citywide cookie phenomenon — and eventually into mentorship and second-chance employment opportunities for women facing similar obstacles.
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