Customers who expected to make one final stop at the Schwebel’s Bakery Outlet before the Fourth of July are getting more time.
Although Schwebel’s announced last month it would wind down operations after 120 years in business, employees at the Erie store say they have not been given a closing date and are continuing to serve customers while they wait for liquidation to begin.
Shoppers filled the outlet ahead of the holiday weekend, stocking up on discounted bread, hamburger buns and hot dog buns for cookouts — many believing it would be their last visit. Instead, workers say they’ve been told to keep the shelves stocked until they receive further instructions.
“We’re still not really sure what’s happening, what changes are gonna happen, other than they said liquidation and layoffs,” said Samantha Miller, the store’s lead clerk, who has worked at the outlet for 22 years. “That will start, like, next week.”
Until then, Miller said customers should continue stopping in.
“Keep coming,” she said. “For real, keep coming in till you don’t see no one here, until we officially say we’re done.”
Schwebel’s previously said bakery outlet closures would begin after the Fourth of July, but employees at the Erie location say they are still waiting for a timeline specific to their store.
For Miller, the uncertainty follows more than two decades with the company.
“I love it,” she said. “I love my job here. I haven’t ever really wanted to go anywhere else.”
Customers have been showing their support since the closure announcement, often asking what comes next for employees.
“Everybody is very much concerned,” Miller said. “They’re amazing. It’s been rough, but everybody is so understanding with us.”
Longtime customer Kathleen Watson said she has relied on the outlet for more than 20 years, using its discounted baked goods for church events, school functions and community fundraisers.
“The workers here are like family because you see them so often,” Watson said. “They’re very, very helpful.”
Watson said the store’s value went beyond low prices. She frequently ordered hundreds of hot dog buns for community events and said employees always had the orders ready.
“They’ve always taken care of us,” she said. “People come from other states, and they’d make it right away. Nowadays, you don’t find that. Even though it’s not a million‑dollar item, the fact remains it was just that real American way of doing business.”
She said the closure will leave a void for churches, schools and neighborhood organizations that depended on both the affordable products and the customer service.
“It becomes part of your family,” Watson said. “The people that work there make the business.”
For now, employees say the Erie outlet remains open and stocked while they wait for liquidation to begin. Miller said she plans to continue updating customers through the store’s Facebook page and in‑store notices as more information becomes available.
“We’ll be here until there’s nothing,” she said.