Just a few doors apart along historic Main Street, the Borough will see one established food service business closing soon while another begins a phased opening that will lead to the eventual rebirth of an iconic landmark.

Dere Street Bakery owner Dave Cooper recently told The Newtown Bee he was closing his small shop just below the flagpole and behind his former restaurant — providing further details in a letter to his regular customers.

At the same time, Kate Neugold held true to her hopes of providing some limited service by year’s end out of the former Inn at Newtown, now fully renovated and opening as Marygold’s on Main.

Cooper said his bakery will formally close on Sunday, January 31, at 3 pm, but it does not necessarily represent bad news for the merchant.

“Our closure isn’t driven by failure, but instead by opportunity,” Cooper wrote. “That opportunity is the growth of our wholesale bakery in Danbury.”

While COVID-19 and the current health climate refocused Cooper’s team to the wholesale side of his commercial baking business, he said his “venture in Newtown has been an enjoyable one because of the people that came through the doors each day we were open.”

Cooper said while his business base is neighboring Danbury, “Newtown will always be home.” He said he was pleased meeting and employing local staff members and giving back to community initiatives.

Over the next several months Cooper said he will be adding an additional 10,000 square feet of manufacturing space to his existing Danbury 20,000+ square foot facility to accommodate a new venture into the manufacturing of protein bars, as well as keto and paleo cookies.

“From our facility on Eagle Road in Danbury we produce and sell our products nationwide — to thousands of customers — through our trusted distribution partners,” he said. Cooper’s wholesale business has been operating since 2004, while his Newtown retail bakery and restaurant were spin-offs inspired by his English roots.

To make his final holiday season a more deliciously joyous one, Cooper is offering his typical holiday favorites — mince pies and Yule logs along with something he calls a Candy Cane Camelot Strip. A pre-order form for these items and other Dere Street products is available at https://derestreetbakery.com/home/holiday-pre-order.

Items will only be available until they are sold out, Cooper said.

After an initial interview with The Newtown Bee, Marygold’s On Main has been taking shape nicely, as Neugold has been reporting on her social network pages. Too busy to connect ahead of Christmas, she reports on Facebook that in the coming weeks, patrons will be able to see the dining, catering, and pub facilities gradually opening at 19 Main Street.

But for Christmas morning, her husband, co-owner and chef Clark Neugold, and head chef Derek Kustanbauter had already sold out of their breakfasts-to-go, with a structured drive-up pickup schedule for patrons. The initial menu featured house-made bagels, whipped cream cheese assortment, skillet sticky buns, sourdough loaf, farm eggs, maple sausage patties, and quiches.

In recent days, Neugold said Marygold’s booked its first wedding and announced the availability of gift cards for its main dining area and pizzeria pub, located in the lower level.

“Our vision for the basement of Marygold’s is a place where you can come to relax, a casual atmosphere, with a nostalgic feeling of the past,” Neugold posted. “Combine that with the most delicious pizzas from [Matt Stanczak] that utilize our local farms, really fun cocktails, huge murals and art from local artist @peterlefloch, a ginormous fireplace (!) and retro touches.... and you have good old days pizza & cocktail den.”

She also introduced a bevy of new staff members including beverage director Kyle Mastropietro, general manager Johnny Torres, sous chef Steve Roth, director of service Nicole Avrin, and director of events Patty McCartney.

While indoor fixtures and original art installations were being placed, the outdoor parking area was fully renovated and resurfaced, new gas service was installed, and the outdoor patio was readied for the eventual return of fairer weather.

Keep tabs on further developments on Marygold’s Facebook and Instagram pages, or by visiting marygoldsonmain.com.