'Extremely devastated': New owners of Lindstrom Bakery announce shock closure
The new owners of Lindstrom Bakery, lauded for its donuts, made a shocking announcement Friday: The shop is closing only two months after reopening.
"Dear family, friends, and customers (who’ve become like family and friends)," the bakery's owners, Angie and Eric Richey, posted to Facebook Friday morning. "We are extremely devastated to announce that the Lindstrom Bakery will be closing once more."
Their last day in operation will be Saturday, April 2.
The sudden shutdown comes two months after it reopened with the Richeys now at the helm. The duo had promised to keep the same recipes used by founder and prior owner Bernie Coulombe, whose donuts had been celebrated as the best in the state.
Coulombe put the shop up for sale last September, promising to stay on for 30 days so she could help pass down her 48 years' worth of knowledge to whomever bought the bakery.
Those buyers were revealed in January to be the Richeys of Forest Lake. They announced an eventual name change (The Good Neighbor Cafe and Bakery) while outlining a vision to support local farmers by sourcing ingredients from them, all while leaving the existing menu and recipes untouched.
But between the Feb. 1 relaunch and now, something went awry.
The Facebook post cites "reasons outside of our control" without providing any further details.
Eric provided a bit more information to Bring Me The News, saying: "Unfortunately the sale fell through. That is all."
Eric, in a follow-up, said they had reopened the bakery before the sale officially closed, and were "operating under a temporary agreement" as the sides worked toward that end. But that won't be happening now.
"We are still looking for opportunities to bring our farm-to-table cafe and bakery to life in the near future," he said.
The Richeys said in the announcement that while their "dream of building a farm-to-table cafe and bakery will no longer be realized at the Lindstrom Bakery location," they don't plan to give up their ultimate goal of bringing "local, sustainable, and nourishing food to our community."
"Thank you for your patronage, support, and understanding," the announcement reads. "This isn't goodbye, this is a see you later."
