Fans of Love’s Bakery lined up Saturday to buy the last discounted goods from their beloved bakery that closed in March.
Throughout the morning, a dozen or so vehicles took turns lining up along Middle Street waiting for a parking spot in front of the Love’s Bakery factory, which opened for the day to sell its remaining stocks of sliced bread, bagels, hamburger buns and doughnuts that had been frozen until Saturday’s final sale.
Some people also showed up to pick up memorabilia, like photos or shirts.
The business shut down at the end of March and Oahu Auctions announced it would hold a sale on Saturday of whatever goods were left. Any baked goods that went unsold were to be donated to the Hawaii Foodbank, but only an estimated 5% remained at the end of the day.
The sale was yet another reminder that the iconic family-owned business, which had been in operation for 170 years, is closed for good. But the mood on-site Saturday was more economic than nostalgic.
Inside the store were signs asking people to “make selections quickly so that others may have their turn” to take advantage of the steep discounts.
Customers were able to purchase bags of bread or doughnuts for $1 each, or spend $10 to fill up their own reusable shopping bags.
Alicia Brandt, the owner of Oahu Auctions, anticipated the long lines that materialized on Saturday morning.
“It was supposed to start at 10. We were here at 8:30, and we had a line already,” said Brandt, who spent the rest of the day ringing up sales. “We had people on beach chairs and the parking lot was already crowded, so we just decided to open right there.”
The food products had been frozen and then thawed out, followed by customers “hauling away boxes,” Brandt said.
By the end of the day, some 300 people had stopped by, Brandt said.
Jaysha Garcia was part of a group of seven family members, including her husband, Lamar, and two children that drove from Kaneohe. They left with multiple boxes of bakery items.
“We have our grandpa … we’re buying for him,” Garcia said. “My sister is buying for her in-laws. We’re buying for other people, but we’re not overly buying, because these are things (that) are going to expire. But this is a good deal. So we couldn’t pass it up either.
“A lot of people are in there with boxes full, so I think they’re all probably doing the same thing — sending one person in for a bunch of people,” she said.
Brandt said some people were buying for their own families, but heard that some customers were shopping for church groups, as well. One customer said she wanted to give some food to homeless people.
Kailua resident Tad Dosier said he had to wait 25 minutes in his car on Middle Street just to get a parking spot — but getting into the store and buying the food was then a relatively quick process.
He spent $25 “for three bags and a big box of bread staples.”
Dosier said his family used to often buy Love’s products and he was a customer on Love’s last day in March.
“My wife can only eat whole wheat bread,” he said. “They have plenty of whole wheat bread. She freezes it, so we’ll be good for a few more months. … For $1, that’s not bad.”
Following Saturday’s final sale, Dosier is unsure where he’ll buy his baked goods from now on.
“I don’t know now — it’s a bummer,” he said. “We’ll see.”
Oahu Auctions plans two more Love’s-related auctions, but only for equipment such as trucks, carts and other industrial supplies.