Karl's Quality Bakery announces closure after 30 years

Karl's Quality Bakery, operated by the friendly, multi-generational Boerner family, has been a staple in north-central Phoenix since the early 1990s. Patricia Escarcega

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Cakes, pies, croissants, Yule Logs and cookies shaped like roller skates and butterflies are all part of a day's work at Karl's Quality Bakery, a Phoenix staple that has been cranking out specialty baked goods for 30 years.

But the bakery's long run will soon come to an end. On Sunday, the owners posted to their social media pages announcing that the business is set to close.

Long-time customers of the bakery know the family behind the baked goods. It was originally opened by Karl Boerner, a native of Germany who trained and baked in Switzerland before moving to the U.S. in 1976. After running kitchens and bakeries in Louisana and California, Boerner moved to Arizona and opened his Phoenix bakery at its original location on the southeast corner of Seventh and Dunlap avenues in 1994.

There, Phoenix customers began to turn to Karl's for cakes and cookies, making the small bakery a Valley staple. Over the years, Boerner's daughter Christine took over operations. She graduated from Sunnyslope High School but followed in her father's footsteps and headed to Europe to become a Swiss-trained pastry chef and chocolatier. Under Christine's care, Karl's Quality Bakery moved to its current location at the Marketplace on Central in Sunnyslope in 2014.

click to enlarge

The cookie counter at Karl's Quality Bakery is full of colorful, whimsical sugar cookies.

Patricia Escarcega

Now, the bakery's long run is almost up.

"After 30 years of baking for our Sunnyslope community we bid adieu to our beloved shop," the family wrote on Instagram. "It has been an extraordinary journey filled with the aroma of love and the sweetness of shared moments. While our ovens may cool, the warmth of our bakery will forever linger in the hearts and taste buds of those we’ve had the honor to serve. Come and bid us a final farewell this week."

The post also explained that the space will be taken over by "a new local family-owned bakery" in April. 

Customers have until March 31 to stop by Karl's for the final time. The bakery is taking Easter orders through Wednesday, with Easter pick-up available on Saturday. On the last day of the month, the bakery will open at 7 a.m. and close for the final time once the last cookies are sold.

Karl's Quality Bakery

111 E. Dunlap Ave. #13