A popular Findlay Market bakery announces permanent closure

Back in 1993, Melissa Schroeder took the sourdough starter her mother handed down to her and started baking bread for a living in her kitchen in Dayton, Ohio. For the past eight years, visitors to Findlay Market could get a taste of that very same starter in the form of bread and delectable focaccias at Em’s Bread bakery.

Sadly, that will soon be a thing of the past.

On Monday, Findlay Market announced that Schroeder will permanently close her popular bakery.

"We are very sad that Em's is closed, but are incredibly thankful for their great 8 years at Findlay Market," Kelly Lanser, the President and CEO of the Findlay Market Corporation, told The Enquirer via email. "Melissa and her team went from making loaves of bread to establishing a beloved breakfast and lunch menu that had people lining up every day. They outgrew their space more than once during their time here because their customers couldn't get enough. We are honored to have been on this journey with Em's Bread over the years and wish Melissa and her staff nothing but the best on their next adventures."

No reason was given for the closure. The Enquirer reached out to Schroeder but she did not respond by press time.

The Findlay Market Facebook post did include an unattributed quote from the bakery thanking customers who "brightened our day and were the reason we were there."

While Em's operated out of Findlay Market since 2015, the bakery was established in 1993 when Schroeder, a mother of three children, decided to use her mother's sourdough starter to bake and sell bread so she could work from home while still participating in her children's activities. According to the bakery's website , she would get up at 4 a.m. every morning to bake and deliver the bread throughout the day.

Em's departure means that a prime spot inside the Market House will soon be available. You can learn more about the opportunity and view the Request For Proposal here: https://www.findlaymarket.org/fulltime .

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A popular Findlay Market bakery announces permanent closure