A beloved café has been forced to close it’s doors after 14 years, with the owners posting a heartbreaking note on the window of the business blaming soaring rent and the cost of living crisis.
The owners of Organic Republic Bakery in Bondi, Sydney‘s eastern suburbs, thanked customers for all the years of ‘love’ but said they could no longer afford to operate.
Thousands of small business-owners across Australia have been struggling on the heels of the Covid pandemic with inflation soaring to 6.1 per cent as staff shortages continue to wreak havoc on the economy.
A note left outside the Organic Republic Bakery (above) in Bondi on Monday informed customers the business had been forced to close due to rising operational costs and rent
Organic Republic Bakery (above) opened in 2008 and was described by loyal customers as a ‘community hub’
‘A warm, heartfelt thank you to the Bondi community for all the love over the years and to all the coffee drinkers and bread eaters,’ the note said.
The heartfelt message prompted the bakery’s customers to leave notes of their own, saying they would miss their ‘favourite bakery’.
‘The best people and coffee,’ one customer wrote.
Saddened customers left heartfelt notes on the windows (above) of the bakery that wished the owners well and they would miss their favourite spot
‘My toast will never be the same,’ another wrote.
Loyal customer Carlos Agamez Garcia, who set up the note station, said he was sad to see the lively café go after being a pillar to his community for so many years.
‘I’ve been a local for over 10 years, and this place was a sort of sense of community to me. Where I get the bread, treats, coffee and an encounter point for locals,’ he said.
‘The quality was high and the staff were always friendly, it was a recurrent place for my family as well.
‘It gave me a sense of home, really. A place where I used to go, get the daily bread and to meet to have conversations about politics, art and more with other locals.’
The small bakery was heavily focused on sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint.
Organic Republic Bakery (above) was heavily focused on sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint
Customers of Organic Republic Bakery (above) were saddened by the news of the bakery’s closure, announced on Monday
One of the bakery’s owners, Murray Stuart Begg, passed only a few months before the bakery’s closure on June 10.
His death saw customers leave flowers outside the café.
Mr Garcia wrote on his post that the bakery was one of many in the area that has fallen victim to inflation.
‘It is hard to believe how many businesses that confines within the community are now gone for the same reason: rent escalating, hard for businesses and people to keep up,’ he said.