ORLANDO, Fla. – Most businesses are prepping for the biggest retail days of the year, but two Orlando staples are doing the opposite.
Bikes, Beans and Bordeaux and P is for Pie are closing up shop, but not because of a lack of customers. Both businesses are making the difficult decision to close their doors because of labor shortages, inflation and product inconsistencies.
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At P is for Pie, sweet treats are flying off the shelves as customers come in droves to say goodbye to one of their favorites.
“This is my mom’s favorite bakery,” said Zach, a P is for Pie customer. “She used to live here, so hopefully I’m gonna get some stuff for her like the crumble bars, peach hopefully, but we’ll see what’s left.”
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The bakery opened in 2011 but over the weekend, the popular pie shop announced its closure.
“This was probably one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make,” owner Stacey Tomljenovich said.
Tomljenovich said the current labor shortage, product inconsistencies and inflation are forcing them to turn off their ovens and hang up their aprons. She said finding and training bakers has been difficult.
“I think that people think it’s easy,” Tomljenovich said. “It’s easy as pie, right? It’s not.”
This week, Tomljenovich and her staff are working around the clock to fulfill hundreds of Thanksgiving orders and keep the store open for their last few customers. She said her customers are what kept her going for the last 11 years.
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“It’s as much as they say we’ve given to the community, they’ve given to us,” Tomljenovich said. “We watched babies grow up, they’re now first and second graders, you know, we’ve been in weddings and part of people’s baby showers and birthdays and stuff and it’s such an honor to share life with these people.”
Many people saying goodbye to P is for Pie are also saying goodbye to Bikes, Beans and Bordeaux just down the street. That restaurant is also closing because of labor shortages and inflation.
“I think unfortunately, we’re gonna start to see that more and more just because they can’t find the food products to sell, they can’t find people to man the restaurants,” said Steve Murphy, a restaurant customer.
Many customers are taking every opportunity to support some of their neighborhood staples in their final days.
“I love this neighborhood and I love these people and I try to do what I can and I think that’s all anybody can do unfortunately,” B3 customer, Reed Burton, said.
Tomljenovich said after they wrap up the Thanksgiving holiday, they are looking forward to catching up on some much-needed rest.
Both P is for Pie and Bikes, Beans and Bordeaux will close on Wednesday.