ORANGE PARK, Fla. — An Orange Park bakery is no longer planning to close its doors due to declining sales from the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to an uptick in sales on Sunday.
First Coast News first reported Saturday that Wicked Batter Cafe announced its closure due to the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The scratch-made bakery that opened in 2018 said their sales had dropped by more than 70%.
But, on Sunday, a rush of business from loyal regulars as well as new customers provided the business with enough revenue to make payroll for an additional two weeks, the bakery announced in a post to its Facebook page.
"Wow! Y'all SHOWED UP for Wicked today in a way we just were not expecting!!" the post says. "I'm posting this message with this photo of us here at the end of the wonderful day we had."
Wicked Batter said the team does not want to give up or walk away if they are able to continue making payroll.
"Anything can happen in two weeks," the Facebook post says. "So, in the hopes we can keep making payroll, please come see us, share, tell your friends! Wicked is trying to drag herself from the ashes."
You can read the cafe's full statement from its Facebook post below.
The company had previously said all current orders would be fulfilled for December. Anyone with orders in January or onward will be contacted to make special arrangements, the bakery said in a statement Saturday, but after Sunday's announcement, the length of time the cafe will be able to remain open is indefinite.
"The last two months have been nearly impossible with ever decreasing sales, and we have now completely drained all of our cash reserves," the bakery said in a statement on Facebook Saturday. "We are ineligible for any traditional type of loans, have been denied by the SBA, have exhausted our PPP loan etc."