SEATTLE — Sunday marked the end of an era in West Seattle. The Original Bakery closed its doors after being a community staple for 87 years.
Bernie Alonzo bought the bakery in 1975.
"It feels wonderful. As you can see, the whole community has become our family and our family has become their family," Alonzo said. "It's been a nice run doing what we love to do, but now it's time to retire."
Since 2009, Alonzo's daughter, Anna Alonzo, has been part of the family business, helping her father bake the sweet treats that made the bakery so beloved. Growing up, she did front-of-house jobs but went on to have a career outside of the bakery before returning.
"I'm really sad that we're closing but I'm also really happy my dad is retiring and we'll have more time to spend together," Anna Alonzo said. She says she's proud of the legacy and impact her father and family have left on this community.
"So many people have come out, brought cards and letters saying how much this bakery has meant to them and their families and their kids," she said.
Just after the three-minute mark in the video below, a couple gives the father-daughter duo a card, hugs them, and expresses their gratitude.
"When I was a kid, I lived four blocks away and I used to come here with my grandmother," Michael Martin, a loyal customer said. "Now, my children come here with their grandmother, so it's been a really awesome transition for my family."
Martin moved away for a time but now lives five blocks away. He tells KING 5 he took his wife to The Original Bakery on a date. He said the people at the bakery are what made it truly great.
"When I was a kid I loved the donuts and the sweet and the sugar but the community here has been really amazing," he said. "It's just a real place of community acceptance and love that's unusual in this day and age."
In this business closure, Martin finds a lesson to share with his kids, a lesson everyone can appreciate.
"Life is bitter and sweet. There are beginnings and there are endings. I wish it didn't end right now, but that's the way it goes and it's an important lesson to show them," he said.
When asked about his plans for retirement, Bernie Alonzo says he's going to decompress for the next month before figuring out what trouble he can get into. He and his family want to take a vacation together soon.
As for what's next for the building, the owner of Endolyne Joe's will be taking over the space. An employee told KING 5 development is early on, but they plan to honor the history of The Original Bakery by serving some form of pastries and drinks. Anna Alonzo also confirmed this information. There's no timeline for when the new business will open.
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