Bolivar Bread Bakery

While spending the day in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a trip to Bolivar Bread Bakery provides travelers a place to refuel before heading out to hike or explore the national historical park, which sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. 

Owner Katie Kopsick has been making pastries since age 15, but after a stint as a night baker in a New York City restaurant, she was inspired to switch to bread-making, seeing it as the fabric of people’s day-to-day lives. She began baking and selling bread out of her home, making over 100 loaves each day. That lasted for eight months before she opened her shop in October 2021 in downtown Harpers Ferry.

Today, Bolivar Bread Bakery churns out more than 300 loaves of bread daily and supplies 15 local cafes. The shop stocks 15 standard loaf varieties, with specialty breads offered on different days of the week, such as challah on Fridays, pretzels on Saturdays and pizza focaccia on Sunday.

Some of the standard breads on the menu include the Wild and Wonderful Sourdough, made using a 45-year-old sourdough starter that Kopsick nicknamed “Jeffrey” in honor of bread expert Jeffrey Hamelman. She met Hamelman while taking classes at King Arthur Bakery in Vermont. (“Jeffrey” is a decedent of Hamelman’s original sourdough starter that he shared with his students.)

Other varieties include the Kalamata Olive and Rosemary Sourdough, Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough, Pickle Rye and Kopsick’s personal favorite, the Everything Bagel Sourdough. The bakery is take-out only, making it perfect for a quick stop while on a trek through downtown before heading into the park. 914 Washington St., Harpers Ferry, West Virginia 25425, 304/535-8108, bolivarbread.com