The My Ballard team received an email from the team at Ballard Great Harvest Bread Co. (2218 NW Market St) stating that they will be permanently closing their doors from this Sunday, March 16.
This is the second Ballard business closure announcement this week, joining the long list of favorite establishments that are set to permanently close this month.
Ballard Great Harvest Bread Co. opened way back in 1999 and has been a fixture of Market St ever since. Check out the email from owners Jackie and Mark:
Dear Ballard Great Harvest friends and loyal customers,
It is with a very heavy heart that we have decided to close our doors. This Sunday, March 16th, will be our last day in business.
THANK YOU to all our customers and friends near and far for encouraging and supporting us over the last three years since we bought the bakery – and under the previous owners who opened the store in 1999. We have had a blast getting to know you and sharing our passion for good food with you. We will miss you!
Please know this has not been an easy decision to make. Times are very tough for many small businesses like ours. Ultimately, we have realized that moving on is the best thing for our family.
We are deeply grateful for your support.
Thank you for everything,
Jackie & Mark
This fixture of the Ballard business community will surely missed by many. Store hours this weekend before the closure are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
I hope the morons on the City Council who are proposing the $15 min wage read this. If they only understood how hard it is to make money, especially for a small business, they wouldn’t be proposing such a draconian and stupid wage hike.
We’d all like to make more money, but the money has to come from somewhere and small business is tough, razor thin, and with little fat to cut.
@Guest Small businesses are closing because of rent and competition. Increasing minimum wage will be a drop in the bucket compared to the other two.
This bums me out. I love their breads and soups.
@anon – I suspect the increase from about $10 an hour to $15 is more than a drop in the bucket on their P&L. These guys will probably adjust by having fewer workers, though better qualified workers. They’ll raise the bar.
@anon Yes a 60% increase in labor is a drop in the bucket!
@Shilshole Crabber Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour isn’t going provide more highly qualified workers. They will be the same workers as before only with a 60% pay increase. Plus the increase in taxes, etc. It is a huge pay increase and very few retail businesses can afford it.
@Guest –
$15 an hour is a huge increase and will likely shutter some businesses – no argument there.
My take (for what its worth) is that small businesses will lay off less productive workers to survive and be more selective on who they hire – making it more difficult to get that entry level job.
I don’t see this as a good thing for the Mom & Pop businesses or the vibrant new businesses that spring up in our neighborhoods.
Hey, why do we hear about this business closing, but not IVAR’s!?! Don’t get me wrong, this is NEWS. BUT SO IS THE DEATH OF IVAR’s!!! Please run a story, they are gone at the end of the month and now is thee last chance to pay a visit to its longstanding crew and have a last bite of their excellent codfish before they are cast to further stores beyond our city limits (egads, Edmonds???).
@Ballard Fisherman
Can you elaborate? I’ve heard nothing and have seen nothing regarding the closing of Ivar’s. I assume you’re talking about the location on 15th?
@Ballard Fisherman I just did a Google search and don’t see anything about Ivar’s closing. Can you share some more details?
I hat to say this, but the last time I was in there was about 20 months ago. Not a pleasant experience. I used to go in every week or so for a sandwich at lunch. The last time I went there the “free bread” was attracting the summer bums. Some strung out dude was there getting his free bread and decided I was some kind of yuppie scum for buying a $9 sandwich and kept fixating on me, then followed me out of the shop yelling typical crackhead nonsense about ‘f*cking me up’ for standing too close to him. After that, I figured if GH wanted to feed the crazies, that’s their business and I’ll so somewhere else.