Anh Ơi Bake Shop: Participant Spotlight on Vince Vu
Today, we’re sitting down with Vince Vu, owner of Anh Ơi Bake Shop. Through the Seattle Restored pop-up program, Vince has succeeded in creating an experiment in what a more collaborative, story-driven food business can look like — one where a storefront can also act as a platform for other local bakers, artists, and makers.
Q: Tell us about your business. What inspired your pop-up concept?
Anh Ơi is a Vietnamese-American bake shop in Seattle built around the idea that food can hold memory, identity, and longing all at once. What started as me baking cookies inspired by flavors from my childhood and family (things like Vietnamese coffee, fried banana, and pandan) slowly evolved into a larger vision: a retail space that also uplifts other local bakers and makers. I was inspired by the feeling of growing up between cultures and wanting to create something that felt both deeply personal and communal. At its core, the shop is about helping people feel seen through flavor.
Q: Why did you apply for Seattle Restored? how will this opportunity help you reach your goals?
Seattle Restored gave me the chance to test a radically different kind of bakery model without the enormous financial barrier of building a traditional bakery from scratch. Instead of centering a large production kitchen, Anh Ơi focuses on storytelling, retail, and creating a platform for emerging bakers — especially those transitioning from pop-ups or cottage baking into wholesale and more sustainable growth. This opportunity has helped turn what was once a concept in my head into a community space in Japantown. Long term, I hope it becomes proof that small, collaborative food businesses can thrive together rather than compete for the same limited opportunities.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your business? how do you hope to impact the community?
The most rewarding part of Anh Ơi has been watching complete strangers connect through food and memory. I’ve seen customers stand in the shop sharing stories about their grandparents, childhood snacks, or flavors they haven’t tasted in years — not just about my products, but about the other bakers we feature too.
I hope the shop can continue becoming a space where people feel represented, where emerging makers can grow sustainably, and where the Chinatown–International District feels more alive, collaborative, and cared for. More than anything, I want people to walk away feeling like food can carry culture forward instead of flattening it.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or your business?
One thing I’d love readers to know is that Anh Ơi was never meant to be just a cookie shop. It’s really an experiment in what a more collaborative, story-driven food business can look like — one where a storefront can also act as a platform for other local bakers, artists, and makers. Being part of Seattle Restored has shown me how much people are craving spaces that feel personal, human, and rooted in community. Every product on the shelf has a real person and story behind it, and I think that’s what people are ultimately responding to.
Q: Do you have any events or collaborations coming up?
Anh Ơi is constantly evolving, so there’s always something new happening in the shop. We regularly rotate local bakers and makers into the space, alongside limited specials and collaborations — both from Anh Ơi and from the bakers we feature. A big part of the experience is that the shelves are always changing, which gives customers a reason to keep returning and discovering something new. We also host pop-up markets, tastings, and collaborative events that bring together different parts of Seattle’s creative and food communities. Follow us on Instagram to stay updated!
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to locals, what would it be?
Support the small places before they become impossible to replace. Seattle has so many incredibly talented artists, bakers, cooks, and shop owners building deeply personal things, but spaces like these are often much more fragile than they appear from the outside. Choosing to visit a neighborhood business, tell a friend about it, or simply become a regular can genuinely change whether something survives. I think cities stay alive through these small acts of participation and care.
Q: What’s your favorite Seattle Restored activation, and why?
My favorite Seattle Restored activation right now is Paper Pushers Print Shop. I love that it’s not just a store — it’s a living community space centered around zines, printmaking, independent publishing, and art-making. There’s something really beautiful about how participatory it feels; you can browse, discover artists, attend workshops, and even make things yourself. As someone trying to build a similarly community-driven retail model with Anh Ơi, it feels deeply inspiring to see a space that proves people are still hungry for physical places built around creativity and connection.
Q: Where would you take visitors or a group of friends for a fun, relaxed experience in Seattle?
I’d probably take them to Lincoln Park in West Seattle. It has this really calming mix of forest, shoreline, and open water views that feels very distinctly Pacific Northwest without being overly busy or performative. You can walk through the trees, sit by the water, watch the ferries pass, and just slow down for a while. I think Seattle feels most magical when you let the city become quiet for a moment, and Lincoln Park always gives me that feeling.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most in the coming year?
I’m looking forward to continuing to grow Anh Ơi into something larger than myself. The past year has been about proving the concept could exist at all. Now, I’m excited to deepen the collaborations, support more bakers and makers, and keep building a space that people genuinely feel attached to. I’m also looking forward to refining the shop experience and creating more moments where food, storytelling, and community overlap in unexpected ways. More than anything, I hope the next year is about sustainability — building something that can last, not just something that goes viral for a moment.
Visit Anh Ơi Bake Shop
Address:
314 6th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104
Open hours:
Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday: 9:00am-3:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 9:00am-4:00pm
Dates: May 15 – October 16, 2026