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Wellington bakery Myrtle will close before Christmas, with its last day of trade on December 21.
Owners Sarah Bullock and Jacob Brown say they’ve made the decision with a “heavy heart” as their “cherished site” is set to be turned into apartments.
Myrtle won Outstanding Bakery at the Welly Hospo Awards, held on Monday last week.
Popular Wellington bakery Myrtle has announced it will be closing down before Christmas, one week after being crowned the capital’s best bakery.
Operating at the foot of Mt Victoria on Kent Tce since 2021, the small-batch bakery has become popular for its handmade bread and baked goods.
In a statement on social media, owners Jacob Brown and Sarah Bullock announced the venue will close just before Christmas, with its last day of trade being December 21.
Myrtle bakery is closing before Christmas. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The couple said they’ve made the decision because their “cherished site” is no longer available to them.
“Over time, we’ve come to realise just how deeply intertwined our identity is with the place and community that surrounds us [...] we feel it is impossible to simply relocate and remain true to who we are”, the post said.
Customers have been sharing their disappointment at the news, with comments on the post including “This one stings” and “Everything you make is superb! This is such a loss”.
But the pair, who also own and operate The Larder restaurant in Miramar, say it’s not necessarily the end of the bakery.
“Having some downtime will undoubtedly inspire new ideas and who knows where that might lead.”
It’s been a tough year for Wellington’s hospitality industry with a number of eateries closing, including Concord restaurant, Egmont Street Eatery, and bakeries like Pandoro and Bordeaux.
Last week it was confirmed Alamir Bakery, which has been producing Lebanese food for 32 years out of Wellington, had been placed in liquidation.
In a further blow, the awards celebrating industry success - the Felix Wellington Hospitality Awards - were cancelled for 2024 with organisers blaming the challenging year.
Disappointed, a group of operators fundraised to hold their own celebration - the Welly Hospo Awards - with the winners announced at an event last Monday night.
Myrtle won Outstanding Bakery at the awards, beating five of the capital’s other top operators.
The small-batch bakery’s become popular for its handmade breads and baked goods. Photo / Google reviews.
When contacted by the Herald, Sarah and Jacob declined an interview, but said they were “honoured and humbled to have been awarded Best Bakery”.
They said their site is going to be developed into apartments.
“We were always aware that this was going to be a possibility, and it was a risk we decided to take,” the pair said in an email.
Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in local issues, politics and property in the capital. Ethan is always on the lookout for a story and can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.
