Downtown New Albany bakery born out of COVID-19 pandemic to close this spring

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A bakery in downtown New Albany will close this spring, citing rising costs of product, utilities and labor.

Leaven Bakery & Bistro made the announcement on its Facebook page Sunday.

"There is no sugarcoating it — Leaven Bakery & Bistro will be closing our doors this spring," the post read.

Local chefs and owners Zechariah and Kimberly Maxey started the business at home, turning their COVID-19 furlough into a thriving online bakery. Zechariah was a sous chef at Jack Fry's. Kimberly handled pastries at The Brown Hotel. But, like millions of Americans, they found themselves on the employment sidelines, when the coronavirus slammed the economy.

Their success led to the opening of the brick and mortar location on East Market Street in New Albany in 2021.

Despite the business being routinely busy, the bakery said "being busy doesn't always mean staying afloat" as costs of ingredients, utilities, labor and insurance have gone up.

"We don't feel right having to charge $20 for a breakfast sandwich just to keep the doors open," the post continued. "We know wallets are tightening everywhere, and while everyone is feeling it, small businesses and restaurants are feeling it on a much bigger scale."

The Maxeys said they had been searching for a larger location since November 2024, but it did not make financial sense right now to make the move. Because the lease on their current building is up, they felt it best to take a step back.

"With our growing family, we simply can't run Leaven by ourselves anymore, and it's time to take a step back and reset," the post read.

The bakery said it will continue to do pop-ups around the city, and would share more details as they come.

An official closing date has not yet been announced.

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