Paper Moon Pastries: A Sweet Spot in Rural Nebraska | Building Nebraska

In the heart of Cortland, Nebraska, population just under 500- a little bakery with a big heart opens its doors once a week. Every Saturday, the charming vintage-style Paper Moon Pastries draws locals and travelers alike with the scent of cinnamon rolls and the warmth of community. 

Lindsey Oelling, the baker behind the counter, has always dreamed of opening a gathering place for others, but had to wait on the timing to be right. As a licensed mental health practitioner, she spent years listening to people share stories of isolation and disconnection.  

“I remember one client saying, ‘I had a crap day and went to the grocery store and the person working couldn’t even look at me.’ I thought if I ever open a place I want people who walk in to feel like they’ve been a thousand times before,” she reflected.  

After hearing loneliness echoed time and again in her sessions, she began to dream of a space that could offer comfort beyond the therapy. 

That dream became Paper Moon Pastries. 

In the small town of Cortland, Paper Moon blends nostalgia with innovation. The decor nods to decades past, while the recipes carry on Lindsey’s family tradition. Every item is made from scratch, and no cinnamon will be served cold- ever.  

Though the bakery is only open one day a week, its impact reaches far beyond its Saturday hours. The business has become a gathering place where regulars catch up over coffee, strangers strike up conversation, out of towners travel to indulge. 

For Lindsey, Paper Moon is more than pastries. It’s proof that community can be built one batch at a time.