Borracchini’s Bakery, a Seattle destination for almost a century, is closed for good (Renton: homes, weddings)

[homesinseattle]

This one hurts a lot, it was a little slice of authenticity. I loved walking in there and hearing happy voices, grabbing a little something from the deli, just visiting with people. Sad. Article here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...chinis-bakery/

“After nearly 100 years in business, selling spectacular, vividly decorated cakes for weddings and office parties, the beloved Remo Borracchini’s Bakery & Mediterranean Market on Rainier Avenue South announced Saturday it was closed for good.

The pandemic has taken down another business and news of this closure strikes many Seattleites particularly hard. The old core of this town just keeps disappearing.

The bakery is a classic immigrant-made-good story, started in 1923 in the basement of a South End home by Mario Borracchini, a baker who arrived here from Tuscany. It became the go-to place for bread just out of the oven, for takeout spaghetti, for pastries that you couldn’t help but get a few.”

[Ruth4Truth]

I never had a chance to visit it, but I heard a lot about it, and knew people who ordered cakes from them, for special occasions. It was the go-to place for major-occasion cakes. It was legendary!

With the number of weddings way down during Covid, even if their customer base wanted to support them, they probably couldn't provide enough orders to keep the business going. Take-out orders couldn't replace the big wedding and office party orders, obviously.

[leastprime]

Rainier, heading south, is a fast street. Bono Bakery and Oberto always came up fast and before you know, it's behind you. Sad. Bavarian Meat in PikePlace also closed due to CoVid. Saturday is the 1st time into Seattle (ID and CD) in 15 months to visit DS. This week I hope to get into Seattle proper for a walk about and before the new variants take hold in Seattle.

[CrazyDonkey]

Used to walk down to Borracchini’s when I lived on North Beacon Hill in the mid-1980s. Sad to hear they're gone. I wonder if it was the hijacking of Covid-relief by national franchises under the Trump Administration that helped to put this local gem under.

It is possible that they could relaunch their wedding/party cake business, once weddings and other parties pick up again, but the other bakery items and the groceries might have been more like loss-leaders.

[bergun]

This is sad since they were a fixture of Seattle, especially on Rainier Avenue. While growing up in Seattle, we drove drive by the place almost every single day.

Heck, in my last job in Renton, every time we needed a cake for whatever celebration, we’d drive into Seattle for one of their cakes since they were the best.

Truly sad since another piece of Seattle is now gone.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Used to walk down to Borracchini’s when I lived on North Beacon Hill in the mid-1980s. Sad to hear they're gone. I wonder if it was the hijacking of Covid-relief by national franchises under the Trump Administration that helped to put this local gem under.

It is possible that they could relaunch their wedding/party cake business, once weddings and other parties pick up again, but the other bakery items and the groceries might have been more like loss-leaders.

THIS! Plus, there just wasn't enough relief money anyway, I don't think, even if you don't count the national chains.

[xPlorer48]

It makes me so sad to hear of long-time established family-owned businesses closing. I am sure it was a difficult decision. And, another slice of Americana is gone.

[homesinseattle]

Yeah, really sad to lose something like this. My wife and I often have conversations about why certain food businesses are doing fine and others not. Some places just seem to be better set up (or conceived) for takeout. Example, we went to this new Beacon Hill bakery the other day. Besides being very tasty, they had a great easy coffee setup. Lines of people were literally around the block: https://cafeflora.com/restaurant/the-flora-bakehouse/

[ScottStielow]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

This one hurts a lot, it was a little slice of authenticity. I loved walking in there and hearing happy voices, grabbing a little something from the deli, just visiting with people. Sad. Article here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...chinis-bakery/

“After nearly 100 years in business, selling spectacular, vividly decorated cakes for weddings and office parties, the beloved Remo Borracchini’s Bakery & Mediterranean Market on Rainier Avenue South announced Saturday it was closed for good.

The pandemic has taken down another business and news of this closure strikes many Seattleites particularly hard. The old core of this town just keeps disappearing.

The bakery is a classic immigrant-made-good story, started in 1923 in the basement of a South End home by Mario Borracchini, a baker who arrived here from Tuscany. It became the go-to place for bread just out of the oven, for takeout spaghetti, for pastries that you couldn’t help but get a few.”

Sorry to hear. Really sad to see these established business's closing down because of Covin19. We've had our share out here, of also closing down for good.

[TheTimidBlueBars]

Oh dang, I'd heard of this place and I never got around to going. One of the holdouts of the old "Garlic Gulch" Italian enclave.