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Bakery on Maple in Connecticut was at risk of closing permanently until the local community showed up in droves to support the LGBTQ-inclusive business.
A Connecticut bakery was at risk of closing its doors permanently until the local community showed up in droves over the weekend to support the LGBTQ-inclusive business.
Bakery on Maple, owned by Erika and Dave Landi, opened in 2021 in Bristol. Since its earliest days, the shop has been welcoming of the queer community, selling rainbow cupcakes and proudly displaying the LGBTQ+ flag in its windows. The business has recently encountered financial hardships, which its owners attribute in part to their support of social justice.
Erika Landi wrote on the bakery's Facebook page Friday that the business needed "huge" weekend sales "because it may be the last."
"When the bakery started I knew what I wanted to do, what I didn’t know was the toll it might take on the business. I’ve given back to this community publicly and privately and have done so in many different ways," she said, continuing, "I have also used my bakery’s platform to stand with and support the LGBTQ community even though it’s cost me customers and revenue. I still stand with them because they deserve that. But now I’m asking for your support because I’ve given everything I can."
To Landi's surprise, she was met with a line outside the bakery when she arrived to open it Saturday morning. Customers had come from all across the state to support the business, which sold out in just an hour and 20 minutes. After closing briefly to bake more, the bakery reopened at noon, again selling out within 45 minutes, according to the Hartford Courant.
Landi also shared on Facebook that many people had brought supportive signs to hang, whereas others brought pizza and coffee for the staff. The outpouring of support was a far cry from 2021, when a rally for “traditional” marriage was held near the store shortly after it opened.
Landi continued by saying the bakery had to close on Sunday after all to catch up with the amount of online orders that had been placed on its website in response to her initial post. A GoFundMe for the bakery, started by a local customer, has also since raised $3,750 out of its $10,000 goal.
While its financial struggles aren't over, Landi said that Bakery on Maple is "going to keep pushing on with a renewed commitment to this community."
"With the amount of love we saw and kindness we felt we can’t help but to keep trying," she wrote.
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