Downtown Little Rock’s longtime gluten-free bake shop, Dempsey Bakery , will be expanding into Northwest Arkansas next year, taking over the Arsaga’s Mill District location on South School Avenue in Fayetteville.

The Fayetteville Flyer reported Tuesday that Arsaga’s co-founder Cary Arsaga sold the building at 481 S. School Ave. to an LLC owned by Dempsey Bakery owner Chris Fowler. Fowler, of Jonesboro, bought the gluten-free bakery from founder Paula Dempsey in October 2024.

Fowler — a successful KFC franchisee who sold his company’s stakes in 90 KFC stores in 2021, according to Arkansas Business — purchased Dempsey Bakery after his youngest daughter Lexi Fowler moved to Fayetteville and became interested in franchising a location.

Lexi Fowler, who has a tree-nut allergy, told

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