JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A staple in the Jacksonville community for nearly 70 years will closing its doors in a few days.
Edgewood Bakery has been sold by Stache Investments to the owner of French Pantry, who plans to convert the property into a second location for his popular restaurant.
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Stache Investments is owned by Jaguars owner Shad Khan.
Gary Polletta practically grew up in Edgewood Bakery and has worked there for 27 years.
His parents bought the bakery in 1991, and he helped them run it until they sold it in 2014, and then stayed on to help out.
“(My favorite memories are) customers, holidays, just good times with family, working with family and great employees, great customers, great community,” Polletta said.
He’s not the only one with memories from the iconic Murry Hill establishment.
“I got a birthday cake from here almost every year growing up. I would come here, get one of their awesome Homer donuts,” Victoria Bailey said. “Just finding out that this place is closing, it honestly saddens me.”
Edgewood Bakery opened in 1947 and saw its share of turmoil in the last few years.
It closed for a short while in 2015 after a legal battle with Stache Investments. That battle ended with Stache Investments gaining majority ownership, after the previous owners borrowed $800,000 from the company.
Stache Investments renovated and reopened the property , but with the shifting bakery business and consumers making purchases anywhere from supermarkets to coffee shops and convenience stores, they said they had to make a change.
While many people will be sad to see Edgewood Bakery go, there are plenty of others who are happy that there will be another location of the French Pantry, which is a Jacksonville favorite.
John Valentino, who has owned French Pantry since 2015, also owns Burrito Gallery, Mellow Mushroom and Uptown Kitchen.
“I am grateful to Stache Investments and their organization for their professionalism in getting this deal done and am very excited to be building on the impressive legacy of Edgewood Bakery to bring the The French Pantry concept to Murray Hill,” Valentino said. “This is a vibrant and important neighborhood that is already undergoing significant redevelopment. I am glad for the opportunity to contribute to this in a way that I hope will provide fans of both Edgewood Bakery and The French Pantry a unique and extraordinary experience.”
The final day Edgewood Bakery will be open for retail business will be Saturday, March 12. All custom cake orders will be filled through March 31, and customers with any outstanding cake orders after that date will be offered a list of options to satisfy their needs. All customers will be accommodated, Polletta said.
Valentino’s plan for the site will include investing significant renovation capital into the property before reopening as a French Pantry location. The opening date has yet to be announced.
It's a bittersweet change in Jacksonville’s culinary landscape, marking the end of an era, and a new chapter of another.