1,000-plus sign petition to save suddenly-closed Macon bakery. Patrons say spot was beloved

The Macon community has rallied around a local bakery after its abrupt closure earlier this week, with a Change.org petition started to save the business.

Oh Honey Baking Co. permanently closed its doors without much notice Monday. Located in Macon’s historic Ingleside Village, Oh Honey Baking Co. was opened in June 2022 by owner and cake designer Adriana Horton.

The closure was announced via social media where many reacted in disbelief. It stated the closure was “effective immediately.”

On Tuesday a petition was started by long-time patron of the bakery Madison McNulty. As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition had more than 1,100 signatures.

In the petition, McNulty said Oh Honey Baking Co. had been a key player in the historic Ingleside Village revitalization since 2022 and a spot where many people had celebrated important memories and milestones. She said it was one of the very few bakery and coffee shop combinations that had life and spirit.

“This choice to remove a beloved small business and local landmark not only severely impacts the quality of life for Macon, but every staff member and friend of the company,” McNulty stated in the petition. “It is no secret that while the town is filled with color, there are not many locations left where people can feel that vibrancy.”

The petition ended by stating, “if the previous investors think this place isn’t worth the money, we do!!”

The Telegraph wasn’t able to confirm prior to publication why Oh Honey closed abruptly. Horton declined to comment on the closure.

McNulty shared why she started the petition with The Telegraph.

“I sincerely love the company and its staff too much to see it closed,” she said.

In an interview with The Telegraph Pam Pinkston, who followed the owner’s efforts to bring Oh Honey to fruition before it even opened its doors, said the bakery was a fixture in her life.

Pinkston said she was part of a meditation group that met at the bakery bi-weekly. She also said she and a friend founded the group Pride Hive there, and that she frequently held meetings at the bakery.

Pinkston recalled her many visits to the beloved business, and when employees went out of their way to brighten her day at a difficult time.

“Every single time I walked in, I met someone that I had only known through Instagram, struck up a conversation with someone new, or saw an old friend. The staff quickly became friends and I was always amazed they not only remembered my name but also my drink,” she said. “When my dog passed in November while I was in between hip surgeries, my neighbors went to get me goodies from Oh Honey and the baristas not only knew what to send me but left me a little note.”

She shared that Oh Honey Baking Co. was a safe space and a place where people could be themselves.

Pinkston said she is devastated over the closure.

“Regardless of the why, giving people mere hours of notice is atrocious. That means that all of those employees were suddenly out of a job,” she said. “Adriana used a good bit of her own things as decor and had to remove all of that within a short period of time.”

The petition, which Pinkston said she has signed, stated a GoFundMe page may be set up to further support the business with future endeavors.