Sky River Bakery in Monroe set to close

MONROE — The Sky River Bakery hopes someone will write its next chapter. The mainstay at 117½ E.  Main St. announced plans to close Sunday, July 13 after 38 years and its second owner.
Current owner Rick Leng persevered for just shy of five years.
He did not aspire to be a baker. After he and his romantic and business partner split, Leng kept going. He bought his ex-partner out. He continued his 3 a.m. mornings hands-deep in flour, eggs and more to create the day’s sticky buns, muffins, scones and more. Everything is from scratch. Don’t forget, of course, “Those Pink Cookies” the bakery is known for.
But he’s exhausted, he said. He’s 30, but lately feels 55.
What depleted the business was rising costs. The cost of ingredients went up. The cost of wages went up. The cost of everything went up. Eggs were three times pricier than normal for months. White chocolate chips are today $200 a box, twice as costly versus a year ago.
All this forced Leng’s hand.
He is still hopeful, but he must cease.
“I hope something will change. I hope somebody will rescue it. I have hope. I want to pass the torch on,” he said.
He put the Sky River Bakery up for sale in October. So far, a rocky path.
Leng said his lease in The Savoy Building goes a little beyond the date Sky River will close.
Leng credited local business owners Bridgette Tuttle and Sam Wirsching as people who welcomed him at the start. They were people he could turn to for advice for the bakery.
“Rick is not part of multi-generational Monroe but did not shy away from jumping right in to a community of people who often pride themselves on how far back the family tree is rooted in Monroe. He purchased a 30 year old business, continued local coffee and pastry traditions, and made this town his home,” Tuttle said.
Tuttle owns Monroe Pizza & Pints and the Burnt Barrel Whiskey Bar.
Leng’s description of increased cost is validated by experience, Tuttle said.
“Since 2021, profit margins in food have plummeted. ... In general, profit margins prior to the pandemic were around 8% for food and hospitality business owners. By the time we wrapped up 2023, profit margins for food and hospitality businesses had plummeted to 4% across the country but in Washington State the numbers are even more dire at 1.5%,” Tuttle said.
Profit margins are thinning, while small businesses face the same risks posed by rent increases by landlords, Tuttle said, plus regulatory costs and credit card processing fees. “We can’t price products for a sustainable profit margin because not enough people will or can pay $10 for a cookie.”
Leng held the line on prices instead of increasing them. Sky River Bakery’s closure differs from other closures in Monroe. SharinaBean’s, a coffeehouse in the same block of Main Street as the bakery, saw its lease conclude this spring when its building was bought by a new owner.
Thrive Fitness at Hill and Lewis streets also exited after a landlord change. Its replacement, Monroe Consignment, lasted a short while.
None of these businesses had control over their buildings.
The bakery’s closure would leave downtown without a storefront bakery unless the upcoming Mrs. Quadri’s Bakery accomplishes its opening. Mrs. Quadri’s Bakery is taking a different spot.
Sky River Bakery’s original founders Andrew Abt and Mary Thorgerson started business with a third partner in 1987. The two ran the Sky River Bakery for 33 years and retired, selling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leng chose July 13 to give his employees two weeks paid vacation to finish the month.
The Savoy Building’s owner shared they did not force the bakery out and the building hasn’t changed hands. It hopes a new owner will be found for the Sky River Bakery.
He also said he hopes he made an impact for the community, especially the LGBTQ+ community by giving a safe space.
He said he couldn’t have done it without employees Alicia and Payton. They deferred to Leng for this story. Tuttle is seeing if she can help find them future employment.
The Sky River Bakery won two consecutive best-of awards in The Seattle Times by voters.
What’s next for Leng? He plans to rest for a while. He hopes to open a new venture some day. One of his concepts is a rice bar, which uses one of his favorite foods.
Leng also inherited seven books of recipes that came with the business, and has added more ideas since. He intends to make a cookbook with them.

In related news
Two Monroe businesses have recently publicized they are for sale: EscapeGoats, an escape room play center, and the specialty European grocer Sunflower Mill next to Coastal Farm & Ranch. Both are marketing themselves as available for under $150,000.