ATLANTA — An Atlanta bakery known for its caramel cakes, cheese straws and other delicious treats is closing its doors.
Rhodes Bakery announced Friday is the last day for its location at 1783 Cheshire Bridge Road. The family bakery first opened in 1930 and had operated out of its current Atlanta spot since 1953.
“We appreciate all the support we have had from these customers for all of these years,” owner Tom Rhodes told Channel 2 Action News.
The bakery will be open for a final time until 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
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Tom and his brother George have operated the Atlanta bakery for years. They still rely on the equipment their family used when it first opened.
“My grandmother started it and we continue to do it the same way. The ovens are 1953 Petersens and they were here originally when we opened this store,” Tom said.
Rhodes Bakery is just one of several businesses that has been impacted by the Cheshire Bridge Road closures caused by two fires this year. Tom said an investor offered to buy the property at a time when construction after the fire impacted other businesses.
That coupled with the years adding up led to a difficult decision for the Rhodes family.
“My brother and I have gotten too old to come down here and spend 12-14 hours a day on our feet,” Tom said.
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Arthur Johnson grew up in Garden Hills neighborhood and says he has been visiting the bakery with his family for as long as he can remember.
“I’m 57. We have always gotten caramel cakes here, the cheese straws of course,” he said.
Johnson said Rhodes Bakery shutting down is another reminder of the changing Atlanta.
“This is the loss of something of my childhood.”
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While the Atlanta location is closing Friday, the Rhodes family isn’t out of the business completely. Tom says he plans to help his nephew run the Roswell location on 880 Holcomb Bridge Road.
“We appreciate Atlanta and all over the southeast that have shopped with us forever. They can come up to Roswell and we’ll take care of them,” he said.
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