MANITOWOC (NBC 26 — A beloved shop on the Lakeshore will be closing one set of doors.
- Hartman's Bakery will close up shop in Two Rivers. But not to worry, Manitowoc and Plymouth locations will remain open.
- Austin Rehrauer says it wasn't worth keeping two stores open so close together.
- The Two Rivers location was open for four years.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Austin Rehrauer and his wife, Luisa, own Hartman's Bakery in the heart of downtown Manitowoc. This week, they announced they'd be closing their Two Rivers location
"We're at the point now where we decided that it wasn't worth keeping two stores open within 15 minutes of each other,” Rehrauer said.
After four years open in Two Rivers, he said closing down that shop will leave more time for other opportunities.
"Maybe try out some new products that we haven't had before. Maybe bringing back old products,” said Rehrauer. “Then getting everything running as smoothly as possible before we look to expand again."
Austin says the decision had nothing to do with the economy in Two Rivers and noted he even thought it was booming, this was the just right decision for them.
He told me the bakery has been around long before they owned it and since the decision the community has shown an outpouring of support.
"It means a lot,” Rehrauer said. “Like I said, we still consider ourselves a part of that community and we look forward to being around for a while."
Hartman's Bakery also has a location open in Plymouth that shows no signs of slowing down.
