Magnolia Bakery Opens First Ohio Location at Legacy Village

A taste of New York City has arrived in Northeast Ohio. Magnolia Bakery, the dessert shop known for its banana pudding, which has its own cult following, officially opens its first Ohio location at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst on Oct. 20.

Founded in New York City's West Village in 1996, Magnolia Bakery rose to international fame after an appearance on HBO's Sex and the City in 2000. Since then, the bakery has built a devoted following for its scratch-made desserts, with its latest opening marking the beginning of a larger expansion across Greater Cleveland.

Located along Legacy Village's central lawn, between fellow newcomers EVOO and Saffron Patch, the bright new storefront occupies the former Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory space. Inside, glass display cases are filled with colorful cupcakes, elaborately decorated cakes, cheesecakes and other bakery classics.

A new build-your-own banana pudding bar lets customers add toppings such as Nutella, brownie bites and red velvet cake pieces. Coffee drinks are also available, with hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Bringing Magnolia to Cleveland are Northeast Ohio natives Joe and Jess Leonard, who live in Ohio City and spent two decades working in finance and private-equity accounting before pursuing their first venture in food.

When the franchise opportunity arose, the couple saw a chance to bring the New York favorite to their hometown. After visiting Magnolia Bakery in New York City and experiencing it firsthand, they were sold.

“We fell in love with the brand. It's very whimsical. It's beautiful. It brings joy and sweetness to people's lives,” says Jess.

The Lyndhurst opening is only the beginning for the couple, who plan to establish five Magnolia Bakery locations across Northeast Ohio over the next three years. Already negotiating a lease for a second location, they're eyeing Ohio City and hope to open two additional shops in 2027.

As Magnolia expands, maintaining quality remains a priority for Bobbie Lloyd, the company's chief brand and baking officer. Lloyd, who joined Magnolia in 2006 and previously served as CEO, says the bakery relies on baking in limited quantities to keep its desserts fresh.

“We bake in small batches all day, every day,” says Lloyd. “One batch is 60 cupcakes. When we need more, we make more throughout the day as we need them."

That same precision goes into Magnolia's signature banana pudding, from the balance of its ingredients to the ripeness of the fruit.

“We didn't create banana pudding; we perfected it,” says Lloyd. “It really is that ratio of ingredients, and then knowing what is a ripe banana, because you've got to know when it's perfectly ripe to get the right amount of banana flavor.”

Following Salt Lake City and Louisville, Kentucky, Legacy Village is Magnolia's third U.S. franchise, part of a measured effort to bring the bakery to more communities. For Lloyd, whose husband is from Akron, the opening hits close to home after more than 30 years of visits to the region.

Beyond the company's broader expansion, the Leonards hope to establish a stronger presence with an emphasis on catering for celebrations and events throughout the region.

“We want to be more ingrained in the community, doing more catering for large cupcake orders, weddings, birthdays and corporate events, and being part of the community beyond just that grab-and-go experience,” says Jess.

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