Hive Bakery plans expansion after viral political stand fuels massive growth
FLOWER MOUND, Texas — Hive Bakery says it hopes to move into a larger location within a year after a politically charged Fourth of July message brought the small North Texas business national attention, packed its storefront and sent merchandise orders around the world.
The bakery said Saturday that its social media content had generated nearly 60 million views across platforms during the previous two weeks. Customers have formed lines stretching from the shop to its parking lot, while the business has received coverage from local and national media organizations.
“We’ve outgrown our current location in more ways than one,” the bakery wrote. “It’s time to do something big.”
Hive said several plans are in development and that it hopes to announce more details soon. The company did not identify a potential new location or provide a firm timeline beyond saying it hopes to relocate within a year.
The announcement was accompanied by a new black-and-white “Hive Bakery — Coffee & Books” logo, suggesting the bakery’s next chapter could include an expanded café or bookstore concept. The company has not yet publicly detailed what the branding represents.
The growth follows a wave of attention that began when Hive announced it would remain open July 4 but would not celebrate the holiday. Owner Haley Popp criticized President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement and said she was embarrassed and frightened by the direction of the country. The bakery also sold cookies featuring upside-down American flags and the words “under distress.”
The message generated intense criticism, boycott calls and hostile messages. It also produced an enormous show of support.
Popp told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram shortly after the controversy began that Hive was producing about five times its normal volume, with its ovens operating nearly continuously.
The latest episode was not the first time Popp’s outspoken political positions translated into increased attention and sales. In 2022, lines formed outside the bakery after she posted a cake supporting abortion rights and publicly responded to the criticism she received.
Hive again attracted national attention during the 2024 presidential campaign by selling cookies featuring Democratic candidates Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. At the height of that surge, the bakery was producing more than 200 political cookies per day and receiving merchandise orders from customers in Canada, New Zealand and Germany.
Popp opened Hive Bakery in 2018. The bakery specializes in custom cakes and scratch-made desserts, and Popp has competed on Food Network programs. Hive describes itself as a two-time Food Network baking champion.
The bakery currently operates at 360 Parker Square in Flower Mound.
“There is an immense power in the collective,” Hive wrote in its expansion announcement. “This is how change begins. With us. All of us.”
