Customers who expected to make one final stop at the Schwebel\u2019s Bakery Outlet before the Fourth of July are getting more time.<\/p>\n
Although Schwebel\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Shoppers filled the outlet ahead of the holiday weekend, stocking up on discounted bread, hamburger buns and hot dog buns for cookouts \u2014 many believing it would be their last visit. Instead, workers say they\u2019ve been told to keep the shelves stocked until they receive further instructions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still not really sure what\u2019s happening, what changes are gonna happen, other than they said liquidation and layoffs,\u201d said Samantha Miller, the store\u2019s lead clerk, who has worked at the outlet for 22 years. \u201cThat will start, like, next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Until then, Miller said customers should continue stopping in.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep coming,\u201d she said. \u201cFor real, keep coming in till you don\u2019t see no one here, until we officially say we\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Schwebel\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
For Miller, the uncertainty follows more than two decades with the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love it,\u201d she said. \u201cI love my job here. I haven\u2019t ever really wanted to go anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Customers have been showing their support since the closure announcement, often asking what comes next for employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is very much concerned,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThey\u2019re amazing. It\u2019s been rough, but everybody is so understanding with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe workers here are like family because you see them so often,\u201d Watson said. \u201cThey\u2019re very, very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watson said the store\u2019s value went beyond low prices. She frequently ordered hundreds of hot dog buns for community events and said employees always had the orders ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve always taken care of us,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople come from other states, and they\u2019d make it right away. Nowadays, you don\u2019t find that. Even though it\u2019s not a million\u2011dollar item, the fact remains it was just that real American way of doing business.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt becomes part of your family,\u201d Watson said. \u201cThe people that work there make the business.\u201d<\/p>\n