One of downtown St. Joseph’s iconic eateries is poised to disappear into history. The Golden Brown Bakery has announced it will close next week, ending an approximately 50 year run in the central business district.
A short note on the door of the bakery at 201 State Street announced the decision to customers this week. A request for confirmation from MOTM brought a one line response: “Yes. Building for sale.” A message to owner David Braschler in South Haven seeking comment has not been returned as of noon Friday.
Golden Brown Bakery is a highly popular source for all types of ‘baked goods’, from daily Danish with coffee to breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, pies and a range of sweet treats. In recent years, Golden Brown had also developed devoted followers for its lunch sandwiches and soup. However, like many restaurants, it had struggled with personnel during the pandemic and shortened or varied its hours of operation.
Golden Brown was originally known as MacKenzie’s Bakery, operating in South Haven and Kalamazoo. The Father-Son team of Don and David Braschler renamed it Golden Brown after consolidating to South Haven and St. Joseph. The St. Joe store operated for many years in the Courthouse Square complex (near the current Biggby location), then moved to its current spot as the Northern anchor of the St. Joseph downtown district.
At the moment, it’s unclear whether the building is owned by Golden Brown or another investor, so future plans are unknown.
