PHOENIX — After 30 years, Karl's Bakery has a lot of fans.
Owner Christine Boerner just didn't expect them all to come back at once.
"We're trying our darndest to keep up with the demand," she said, not slowing down as she rolled out dough.
Saturday morning the line was out the door. Not just at opening, but for hours, as people came from all over to say goodbye to the neighborhood institution.
“Sometimes you think if you just line up all the people you've ever met in your life and just see them all again how many people that would be? I feel like that's what's happening now," Boerner said, as she folded the dough over.
Karl's Bakery opened in 1994. Karl, Boerner's father, opened it near Central and Dunlap avenues. His wife and then later Christine helped run the shop until Karl retired. After that, the bakery passed to Christine, a trained chocolatier.
Karl's Bakery isn't closing because of a lack of business. If anything, they have too much. Running a family business is hard. The kitchen crew is working on just a few hours of sleep, if they've slept at all, making the last week a lot of work.
“We do have another business coming in this space," Boerner said. "We're just replacing a Swiss Family for a New York family."
But there's no replacing Karl's Bakery, or the people who have loved it for most of their lives.
Megan Harben and her three daughters came Saturday for one last box of doughnuts, and a hug from their friend Christine.
"It was hard," Harben said. "There were definitely tears."
Sometimes it's just time for a change, Boerner told 12News.
Karl's Bakery opens at 7 a.m. Sunday for their final day and will stay open until they run out of pastries and baked goods.
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