One of the oldest family-owned bakeries in Phoenix, Arizona, claimed it has been forced to shutter its business because customers no longer eat bread products.
Old Heidelberg Bakery said it will be closing on April 30 at 3pm MT after 57 years in business, the Arizona Republic reported.
The German spot was opened in 1969 by Heinz Laukenmann and his wife, Eleonore, who immigrated to the US from Stuttgart the year before, and has since been operated by three generations of the Laukenmann family, according to Arcadia News.
The Laukenmann family recently announced the closure via email and posted it as a sign on the bakery door.
'OHB has not been immune from national and international issues,' the family said, according to a copy of the email shared on social media.
'We are seeing a change in buying habits that includes customers moving away from consuming bread products.'
The announcement added, 'This, along with domestic and international inflation, has caused the price of groceries to be higher than what our customers can afford. The tariffs have not affected our prices.'
'The customers coming through our front door have diminished greatly over the past several years.'
Old Heidelberg Bakery said it will be closing on April 30 at 3pm MT after 57 years in business
Old Heidelberg Bakery's menu includes German-style rye bread, hard rolls, pretzels, apple and cherry strudels, almond horns, coconut macarons, assorted Danishes and meringue
Heinz and Eleonore's daughter, Chris, took over the business in 2015 after her parents and siblings retired, she told Arcadia News.
Chris said her father started the business by baking bread and rolls at their home, and people in the community sought out his products, so he decided to open a storefront.
Old Heidelberg Bakery's menu includes German-style rye bread, hard rolls, pretzels, apple and cherry strudels, almond horns, coconut macarons, assorted Danishes and meringue.
Eventually, the bakery became so popular that customers began asking the family if they could buy imported German goods, which led them to add a supermarket to the business.
'We were making breads, rolls and pretzels, like we do every day. As the years passed, people started asking if we could get products, and that's how the grocery store happened,' Chris said.
She also said that over the years, some celebrities have shopped at Old Heidelberg Bakery.
'Phoenix Suns and Mercury players have shopped here; some German movie stars and city officials,' Chris told the local news outlet.
In an email announcing the closure, the family who runs the business said it was forced to shutter because customers no longer eat bread products
Along with selling baked goods, the business also offered a supermarket with German and international treats
On social media, locals were devastated to learn that the bakery was closing its doors.
'So sad. Great bread and pastries and super friendly customer service,' one person wrote on Facebook.
'I have been going there since we moved to the Valley in 86. I am saddened they are closing,' added another.
'So sad to hear,' wrote a third person. 'Bummer,' a fourth person wrote.