The owners of a popular Penticton bakery have decided to reopen just over a week after previously announcing the closure of Walla Artisan Bakery & Cafe.

Benjamin Manea and his wife Sharon Wiener are the proud owners of Walla Artisan Bakery & Cafe, located in The Cannery Trade Centre at the corner of Fairview Avenue and Duncan Avenue in Penticton.

The business is best known for baking its acclaimed Jewish Rye bread, which has attracted customers not only from Penticton and area, but all over the region for more than a decade.

Photo Credit: Facebook Walla Artisan Bakery

The popular owners have received a tremendous amount of support since announcing earlier this year that Manea was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

A phone call to Walla Artisan Bakery on Wednesday morning confirmed that the owners plan on reopening to serve their loyal customers following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

“Our hours of operation are changing,” said a voice message from Wiener. “We apologize for any inconvenience to you. You can check our Facebook page for the most updated information … it’s under Walla Artisan Bakery.

“You can call us to make sure that we’re open. We intend to be open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. after Thanksgiving.”

Photo Credit: Facebook Walla Artisan BakeryBenjamin Manea, who owns Walla Artisan Bakery in Penticton along with his wife Sharon Wiener.

The bakery opened for one day only this week on Tuesday, said Wiener.

“Thank you for your patience. We look forward to seeing you,” said the voice message.

On the Walla Artisan Bakery Facebook page, Menea and Wiener confirmed their decision to reopen the business following the upcoming holiday weekend.

“It seems the tide has turned again,” said a note to customers. “There has been so much demand for the breads that we have been turning over every leaf to try and find a way to keep the bakery open, and we hope we have found one.”

Manea and Wiener had previously publicly announced their intentions to try and find someone to assist them with baking and eventually to take over the business.

Photo Credit: Facebook Walla Artisan Bakery

“We apologize for the roller-coaster you have been on. Since Ben’s diagnosis, we have been thrown into rapid changes that most businesses have months, even years to contemplate, and the immense popularity of the Jewish Ryes has coincided with all this change. We hope you will continue to be patient with us as we ride this wave towards some stability soon.”

The Facebook posting confirms plans to reopen the business next week.

“We have had to raise the price to $10 per loaf (each loaf is almost two pounds) to pay the employee wages,” says the Facebook posting. “Ben had been spending much longer making these loaves than anyone had realized.

“As of next week, we hope to be increasing bread production so there will be lots of ryes available again. We intend to be open Wednesday to Saturday selling bread, with new winter hours from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

“Thank you and bless you for your support of Ben and the bakery. We hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. Eat well … live well.”

On Sept. 25, Manea and Wiener announced on their Facebook page that they had decided to close the business.

Photo Credit: Facebook Walla Artisan Bakery

“We’ve made the difficult decision to close the bakery as of today,” said the posting. “There has been a huge demand for the bread in the past few weeks, especially after the exposure … so the timing of this is unfortunate.

“Last week people travelled from Vernon, Kamloops, Princeton and beyond just to pick up a loaf of the Jewish Rye, which many of our local customers have been enjoying for years.

“We have not been able to find someone to take over the bakery, which is a pity given the popularity and demand for the bread. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your friendship and years of patronage.”

The outpouring of affection and support by their loyal customers has been overwhelming and much appreciated, said another Facebook posting on Sept. 1.

Photo Credit: Facebook Walla Artisan Bakery

“We want to thank you all for your warm wishes regarding Ben and the bakery,” said the posting. “After 12 years in Penticton you are all like family to us and we are so touched by your words. We hope to keep our little bakery going strong for a long time and to slowly grow so we can make enough of his special loaves to keep everyone who wants one healthy and happy.”

To view the Facebook page for Walla Artisan Bakery, click here.