Sunrise Bakery and Coffee Shop Returning to Dartmouth

It's been a sore subject in Dartmouth for the past year. Residents have been missing Sunrise Bakery and Coffee Shop on Dartmouth Street in Dartmouth.

The void is being felt for good reason. Dartmouth residents had enjoyed the convenience of the popular spot for decades. However, after more than 40 years of long days and sleepless nights, brothers Joe and Manny Amaral decided to hang up their aprons.

Sunrise's Bolton Street location in New Bedford was sold to Richard Freeman around the holidays, but the future of the Dartmouth Street location remained uncertain.  Freeman owned both the Bolton Street building and the business.  A critical part of the purchase was the inclusion of all the coveted Sunrise recipes. The only thing missing from the purchase was the second Dartmouth Street location.

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"I wanted Dartmouth Street very badly," Freeman said. "I saw the numbers and knew it would work, but I couldn't get the financing approved for the second location until now."

What's Going into the Former Sunrise Bakery in Dartmouth

The news couldn't get any better for fans of the family-run bakery.

Sunrise Bakery and Coffee Shop in Dartmouth was officially sold to Freeman last week,  real estate agent Martin Correia confirmed. Correia brokered the deal for The Castelo Group in New Bedford.

The new ownership plans to reopen the location as a reboot of the Sunrise Bakery and Coffee Shop that closed last year.  That means Sunrise fans can look forward to the fresh bread, the pastries, the fresh sandwiches and everything else they remember.

READ MORE: Yummy New Bakery Opens in Fairhaven

"I want to keep it as close to the old Sunrise as possible," Freeman said. "I don't want to take anything away. I only want to add to it. The Amarals deserve that."

Freeman said he plans to "add an array of hot sandwiches" to the menu.

When Dartmouth Sunrise Bakery Will Reopen

Freeman said he'd like to get the Dartmouth Street location up and running by Thanksgiving 2024.

"It all depends on how smoothly I can get through the process with the Town of Dartmouth," he said. "I'm not looking for them to make it easy on me, I just want to know what I need to do to get the bakery open."

Freeman said he sees former owner Manny Amaral regularly at the Bolton Street location. He gave the former owner a lifetime pass but Amaral refuses to use it.

"He always insists on paying," Freeman said. "I wish he wouldn't."

Freeman said Manny Amaral offers him welcome advice about how to run the business.

"I always listen carefully to what he says," Freeman said.

While the Dartmouth Street property is still not officially Freeman's, he is looking to acquire it as soon as he can.