Diamond Bakery is now closed on Fairfax Avenue, but plans call for the baked goods to continue being supplied to stores and restaurants. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Diamond Bakery closed its doors on Dec. 3 after 77 years on Fairfax Avenue. The venerable bakery located at 335 N. Fairfax Ave. was known for its hand-baked challah bread, cookies, cupcakes and pretzels. The bakery posted a message on its website stating that although the Fairfax District business has closed, Diamond’s baked goods will still be available at restaurants, stores and for commercial customers.

“Don’t worry, this is not a goodbye, L.A. We will now be focusing on expanding our wholesale program. While we here at Diamond Bakery have made the difficult decision to close our retail location, rest assured that we will continue to provide our products to the many restaurants and cafés that carry our products wholesale,” the statement read.

“A combination of factors have contributed to us having to make the impossible decision to close our physical store on Fairfax Avenue for now. We have invested innumerable hours, financial resources and our hearts and souls in keeping the store open. The building is falling apart and we simply cannot afford the renovations to stay in this retail location.”

Marc and Jacqueline Canter, owners of Canter’s Deli, said Diamond Bakery was an important part of the Fairfax community, and will be missed.

“I loved Diamond Bakery,” Jacqueline Canter said. “They had the most delicious pretzels. We had a great working relationship. If they needed something, they would borrow from us, and if we needed something, we would borrow from them. It was always on the honor system and they were great.”

Marc Canter said the bakery closed after facing struggles common in the food-service industry.

“The economy got them,” he added. “It’s hard to make it happen these days. We’ve been helping them and they’ve been helping us, you stick together. They stuck it out as long as they could.”

In its statement on the website, Diamond Bakery also hinted at a retail comeback.

“The Diamond Bakery brand and legacy will never end. We are keeping it alive by partnering with a major bakery here in L.A. who will be taking on the brand and our treasured recipes and getting our bread back into grocery stores, as so many of you have asked us to do,” the statement read. “So stay tuned for that great news. We will miss seeing your familiar smiling faces and hope that there will be a reason to open our doors again in the future. Thank you for the 77 years of supporting our retail location, L.A. We look forward to celebrating all the new locations you can purchase Diamond Bakery products from soon.”

Jacqueline Canter said the restaurant has hired one of the bakers, Juan Angeles, who will be baking items for Canter’s Deli.

“We were very sad to see it close,” she added.