Credit
Beth Insalaco
Since BreadHive Cafe opened on Buffalo’s west side in July, customers have been walking in as if they own the place.
In a way, some do. An offshoot of BreadHive, a beloved local bakery that operates as a workers’ cooperative, the cafe raised start-up capital by selling nonvoting shares to locals. Each share cost $1,000 and guarantees delicious profits: A 3 percent annual return, and free bread through the Crust Belt, BreadHive’s loaf-of-the-week club. “Our investors are our biggest cheerleaders,” said Emily Stewart, one of BreadHive’s three founders. The cafe itself has…
