Longtime customers of Bean Counter Bakery Cafe in Shrewsbury will have to go to Worcester for their cakes and cappuccinos after the company announced the closure of its Shrewsbury location on Wednesday.
The company posted on Facebook Wednesday night the decision to close the store in Shrewsbury, which had been serving customers since 2008. According to the post, the decision to close the location on Route 9 was made to focus time and efforts on the company’s Worcester locations at 113 Highland St. and 270 Grove St.
“While bidding farewell to our Shrewsbury location is not easy, we are grateful to the patrons who have supported us throughout the years,” the statement reads.”Your loyalty and patronage have been the driving force behind our success, and for that, we extend our heartfelt gratitude. It has been our privilege to serve the Shrewsbury community.”
In an interview with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette on Thursday, owner and founder Alice Lombardi said the decision to close the Shrewsbury location was not because of declining sales. She said the decision was to streamline efforts into the company’s two locations in Worcester and their online store.
“It was a strategic decision,” said owner Alice Lombardi. “It was not at all in response to sales.”
Long-time customers wrote words of gratitude in the comments under the Facebook post, sharing memories of buying different kinds of desserts and coffee. Some wrote stories about how they bought wedding and birthday cakes from the store, while others lamented the sudden closing, wishing they had ordered a cake for an anniversary sooner rather than later.
“The Bean Counter was always my go to bakery for special occasion cakes,” wrote Andrea Gavin. “I’m going to miss the Shrewsbury bakery for sure.”
According to the company website, Bean Counter Bakery Cafe began in 1998 out of a licensed kitchen in the home of Lombardi, who would bake and sell desserts for customers. In 2001, Lombardi opened her first store on Highland Street. In 2008, the Shrewsbury location was opened on Route 9 and in 2020, the company opened its second Worcester location on Grove Street. Products offered by the company include La Colombe Oat Milk Draft Lattes and homemade chocolate sauce used for ice cream and hot chocolate.
“Over the last twenty years, the Bean Counter Family has grown from a one-person operation in Alice’s home to multiple locations staffed with our talented bakers, decorators and baristas,” the website reads. “We have stayed true to Alice’s core values: desserts handmade from scratch every day with the finest ingredients—just as she did in her home kitchen.”
