MANITOWOC (NBC 26 – A popular lakefront business will close its doors.

• Hartman’s Bakery will be closing its store in Two Rivers. But don’t worry, the Manitowoc and Plymouth locations will remain open.
• Austin Rehrauer says it wasn’t worth keeping two stores open so close to each other.
• The Two Rivers location was open for four years.

(Below you will find a transcript of the entire broadcast)

Austin Rehrauer and his wife Luisa own Hartman’s Bakery in the heart of downtown Manitowoc. This week they announced they will be closing their Two Rivers location

“We have now reached a point where we have decided that it is not worth keeping two stores open within 15 minutes of each other,” said Rehrauer.

He said closing the store, which had been open in Two Rivers for four years, would allow more time for other opportunities.

“Maybe we’ll try some new products that we haven’t had before. Maybe we’ll bring back old products,” Rehrauer said. “Then we’ll get everything running as smoothly as possible before we try to expand again.”

Austin says the decision had nothing to do with the economic situation in Two Rivers, noting that although he believes the economy is booming, it was simply the right decision for them.

He told me that the bakery had been there long before they took over and that the community had shown great support since the decision.

“It means a lot to us,” Rehrauer said. “Like I said, we still consider ourselves part of this community and look forward to being here for a while.”

Hartman’s Bakery has also opened a branch in Plymouth, which shows no signs of slowing down.