Beloved Boulder bakery Breadworks closes after 30 years
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Breadworks in north Boulder closed its doors for good on Saturday. Photo: Mitchell Byars/Axios Boulder
Breadworks, a beloved bakery that operated every day in north Boulder for 30 years, closed its doors for the last time over the weekend.
Why it matters: Rising costs for labor, rent and supplies are making it harder for local businesses to survive, even those woven into a neighborhood's daily life.
Driving the news: Owner and founder Larry Domnitz told Axios Boulder that his landlord was looking for a longer lease than he could commit to: "The timing just wasn't right for me."
- "I wish it was otherwise," Domnitz said. "I love the business, I love the bakery, and I wished it would have worked out differently, but it didn't."
Flashback: Domnitz opened Breadworks at 2644 Broadway on Valentine's Day 1995, and aside from two days in April 1995 after Domnitz's dad died, the bakery has been open every day since.
- Domnitz said last Saturday marked 11,178 consecutive days of the bakery being open.
- "During that time there have been floods, blackouts, blizzards, a worldwide pandemic, the street being torn up, you name it."
The bakery expanded to include wholesale accounts and later added a cafe, soups and other prepared foods to its offerings thanks to Domnitz's wife Colleen Duran, an experienced chef.
- But even as it grew, Domnitz never moved production off-site: "Having everything right in the neighborhood was, I think, a big part of what Breadworks was all about."
State of play: Domnitz, 72, said the current economic climate made it hard for him to commit to a long-term lease without a succession plan or partner who could take over in place.
- "Labor costs go up every year, we don't know what ingredients are going to cost week to week," Domnitz said. "It's an uncertain time."
Between the lines: Domnitz also said the business was still feeling the impacts of the pandemic.
- His wholesale business went from serving about 130 customers a week to 10 in the 36 hours after the shutdown began in 2020.
- Even after many restrictions were lifted, Domnitz said many buyers left Boulder or greatly reduced their orders.
What's next: Domnitz said the reaction from loyal customers in the closing days was encouraging, and he still may wind up doing something "on a smaller scale."
- "Owning a small business especially these days is difficult, but it's also rewarding," he said.