After having to close down its brick-and-mortar in East Village last fall, the owners of the popular bakery IZOLA Bakery are getting ready to find a new home.
Last year, What Now San Diego reported that the bakery’s flagship downtown location had to close due to a violation of food permit requirements. While owners Jeffrey Brown and Jenny Chen were hopeful at the time that they could renovate the space and eventually reopen early this year, it appears they must pivot in a new direction. The necessary renovations for the space were too much to handle, especially in a delicate building. As a result, the bakery is finding a new home.
“Over the past several months, we’ve hit many challenges along the way, which is an expected part of renovating a 100-year-old building…and we’ve worked through them,” Jeffrey Brown wrote in an email to Izola subscribers. “Until now……During the 2nd review of the 13th St. plans, additional requirements were placed on the renovation, such as the requirement to increase the structural capacity of the dining room up to 2024 standards in order to obtain our kitchen renovation permit….. to 140,000 lbs. Argh….that was a sucker punch. And it’s just not economically feasible. With a heavy heart Jenny and I have decided that IZOLA must move. Heartbreaking! We raised our son at 13th St. We started IZOLA at 13th St. And we met all of you at 13th St.”
Izola ownership is already in discussions regarding three potential new locations, according to SanDiegoVille, but the exact locations of these sites are unknown. They are also turning to the public to help find a new home, asking their following for suggestions for an ideal spot for them to reopen their bakery. The company is offering a year’s worth of free croissants (52 six-packs) to the person who connects them to their new home.
Once IZOLA finds its new home, it should have no problem getting customers in its doors, considering the bakery was once named the #1 bakery in the United States by Yelp. Since then, they have grown beyond imaginable. While the owners started as a Class B Cottage Food Operation, these businesses are legally prohibited from having more than $150,000 in gross annual sales in a calendar year with only one non-family employee. IZOLA has easily surpassed the revenue limit every month and has between 16 and 33 employees. As a result, the owners will find a new home while still working on its new production facility and cafe in City Heights.
