When walking down Second Street on a sunny day in Long Beach, the smell of freshly baked goods drifting out of Sweet Jill’s Bakery makes it hard to resist satisfying a sweet tooth craving.
But now, the popular bakery must move its location or shut down completely due to the new building owner’s decision to put another business in place of it.
Taking Sweet Jill’s spot on Second Street will be Baja Fish Tacos.
“It’s going to improve the area, because the building is 1920’s built,” Joseph Lising, senior associate for Marcus & Millichap Real Estate – who manages the building – said. “The [old] owner lived in Las Vegas.The new owner wants to make it look nice and be a hangout for the younger generation.”
Lising said the building needs a lot of renovation and work to make it a desirable place to spend time at.
“I think [Baja Fish Tacos will] cater more to the college scene,” Lising said.
Some students aren’t as thrilled about the change in businesses.
“There’s already a Taco Surf and another Mexican restaurant on Second,” Rachel Nester, a health science major at Cal State Long Beach, said. “We need one dessert type place!”
According to Lising, Sweet Jill’s will probably not move out for a few months.
Sweet Jill’s Bakery was established in 1987, according to the bakery’s website.
Nester said that her favorite thing to get at Sweet Jill’s is a cinnamon roll.
Sweet Jill’s started to expand by providing pastries to other cafes and catering to corporate events in 1994. As a result, the two stores opened up and started to expand into catering, wholesale and delivery services.
There is a chance that Sweet Jill’s could simply move to another location on Second Street, according to Lising.
Jill Kinney Pharis, owner of Sweet Jill’s, was not available for comment on the potential move.