Local bakery to close Bellefonte shop just months after opening. ‘Every journey has its end’
A local Asian bakery and coffee shop has announced that it will be closing its Bellefonte location, just months after it opened.
Chew Chew Bun posted an announcement on its website Thursday, sharing that the bakery’s Bellefonte location at 141 W. High St. — the former location of URBN Flavourhaus and the long-standing Cool Beans Coffee Shop — will be closing, and that Sunday will be its final day of business.
This decision, according to the announcement, was made so that the bakery could “focus on the sustainability and growth of Chew Chew Bun as a whole.” The bakery’s State College location is located at 115 E. Beaver Ave.
On Dec. 5, the bakery’s owner, Skye Chang, posted an open letter to Chew Chew Bun’s customers on the business’s Facebook page that mentioned how traffic, sales and predicted trends were “far below expectations,” and that in order to survive, the store needed to pull resources from its State College location.
While the announcement noted that the decision to close the location was a difficult one, it also shared gratitude to all who supported the West High Street location while it was open.
“As we all know, every journey has its end,” the announcement reads. “Since opening, this community has embraced us with warmth and enthusiasm. Whether you stopped by for your favorite bun, a cup of coffee or to enjoy the cozy space, you’ve made this experience truly special.”
Chew Chew Bun announced plans to open the Bellefonte location in May and officially opened in the summer. However, staffing issues in September led to a temporary closure.
In the Dec. 5 Facebook post, Chang wrote that running the location was more of a challenge than previously expected, and that the business would be considering options to help make the location more sustainable, including the lessening of hours and days of operation, a potential repurposing of the space or the use of the space solely as a pick-up spot.
Along with the closing announcement, Chew Chew Bun also posted answers to frequently asked questions to its website.
The FAQs noted that no equipment would be sold from the Bellefonte location despite its closure, that the bakery’s State College location will remain open as usual and that any customer who bought a one-time gift card at the Bellefonte location will be offered a limited-time refund, provided that they submit a request to chewchewbun.com/contact by Jan. 31.
Those looking to visit Chew Chew Bun’s Bellefonte location on its final day can do so from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the business offering a 50% discount on all menu drink items.
More information on Chew Chew Bun can be found at its Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as its website.