The family behind Uncle Joey's Rainbow Explosion, the bakery at 451 Main St. in Farmingdale, is opening a second storefront. On Tuesday the shop announced on its social channels that Aunt Jen's Cafe is coming soon, directly next door to the bakery on Main Street.

The announcement describes the cafe as a new, cozy spot and frames it as a growth move for the bakery: Uncle Joey's is expanding, and the new space will sit beside the original rather than replacing it. The shop has not yet announced an opening date.

The bakery next door

Uncle Joey's Rainbow Explosion built its following on one thing done over and over: the rainbow cookie. The bakery makes them from a family recipe with real almond paste, fresh jam and dark chocolate, and it has spun the tri-color theme into cakes, cupcakes and seasonal treats baked in Farmingdale. The shop takes orders by direct message and welcomes walk-ins at the Main Street storefront during regular hours.

The bakery sits in the middle of the village's Main Street business district, and it works the village calendar: during Farmingdale's Fall Festival street fair earlier this month, the shop invited fairgoers walking the route to stop in.

What a second storefront means on Main Street

Farmingdale's Main Street has filled in over the past decade with restaurants, bars, dessert shops and cafes, drawing foot traffic from the LIRR station at one end of the strip toward the village green at the other. A bakery adding a dedicated coffee room next door is a bet on that foot traffic: a place to sit down with a cup rather than carry a box of cookies out the door.

For Uncle Joey's, the cafe also puts a name from the family on the sign. The bakery is named for an uncle; the new cafe will be named for an aunt. The pairing means the two storefronts will read as one family operation running side by side on the block.

What to watch for

The shop says the cafe is coming soon and is posting progress on its social pages. Until the doors open, Uncle Joey's Rainbow Explosion remains open at 451 Main St. in Farmingdale, with current hours and ordering information on its website.

Sources