The business post on Facebook said, “It is with profound sadness that we must announce that we are closing up earlier than expected. The cost to stay open is just too much and we need to save what we have for our custom orders that are confirmed.”
A Connecticut bakery that drew national attention after the owner’s public support of LGBTQ rights has decided to close.
There had been a good chance that the Bristol bakery Bakery on Maple was going to have to close its doors for good in January because of a decline in business, in part, the owners believed, because of their public support of LGBTQ rights, but then a wave of customer support kept it open.
Now, however, the business says, this “coming Saturday will be our last day open to the public and we will have as much of whatever we can make as possible.”
The business post on Facebook said, “It is with profound sadness that we must announce that we are closing up earlier than expected. The cost to stay open is just too much and we need to save what we have for our custom orders that are confirmed.”
“I tried to go as long as I could but it’s just at a point where it’s unsustainable and financially the decision was made for us,” Erika Landi said Monday.
“I wanted the bakery to be a bright and welcoming place for everyone and to support our community the best we could,” she said. “What we didn’t intend to do was make the bakery a political lightning rod by supporting equal rights for all. But the bakery is closing for more reasons than that, labor is expensive but finding people who are skilled or want to learn the trade was almost impossible for us.
“That and rising costs of utilities, property taxes, and ingredients just made it too expensive for us to operate the bakery the way we wanted to. Right now we are exploring some ideas to keep baking for our customers.”
Contributed
A line formed in front of Bakery on Maple in Bristol in January in an organized attempt to save the bakery from financial ruin. Contributed.
In January the Bristol community and beyond came through for owners Erika and Dave Landi and love won on many fronts.
But the Landis said at the time there were not out of the woods financially yet, though they were baking away at 105 Maple St.
A longtime cake customer had spread a Facebook message that that month that the bakery was in financial trouble and needed support immediately.
At that time, customers showed up in droves from around the state to buy their baked goods. There was a line outside when the Landis opened on that weekend and the bakery sold out in an hour and 20 minutes.
But the more recent Facebook post said ” Come on down and share one last moment with us before Bakery On Maple becomes a memory. Thanks for sticking with us, it means the world to us.”
The reactions from supports and customers was immediate.
“We will miss you I know your going to to do amazing, no matter where this next chapter takes you! Thank you for the best birthday and wedding cakes too. We are wishing you many blessings ahead!,” one person wrote.
“Sorry for your bakery closing up. Ever thought of a bakery on Maple food truck that would serve wonderful sweets and breads like you make? Maybe downsizing at its finest,” another wrote.
About the possibility of a food truck, Erika Landi responded on the post that, “this is totally one of my ideas for the future! We are thinking an RV and traveling cross country to different fairs. For now we are working on online subscription boxes. Like food delivery kits but for baked goods.”
“We will miss you so much,” a mom wrote. “The kids and I always love stopping by when you’re open for a treat. The last time we stopped in, you let them both pick out all those stickers and they were so pumped. They came home and put them in their sticker books. We’ll definitely try to be there Saturday for one last treat stop. Thank you for always being so kind and letting my son “play with your toys.”
While many people posted how sorry they were to hear about it, others wished the couple luck in their next steps,
“Love you guys so much! Thanks for all your support with first responders! We all wish you the most success in your future endeavors,” was one message.
Dave Landi said in January that there had been a huge drop in retail traffic and with the high and ever-changing price of ingredients, coupled with labor issues, combined factors hurt the business financially. They opened in 2021.
He and Erika at the time attributed part of that decline to being outspoken supporters of the LGBT community and other social justice issues .
Soon after they opened there was rally in Bristol about a block away promoting “traditional” marriage and the Landis put it out there that they had rainbow cupcakes, Landi said.
He had also said they had a large PRIDE flag in the window, sell rainbow cupcakes, and a “Everybody’s Welcome Here,” sign.
Another customer wrote: “Huge loss to us and Bristol.”
