After 61 years, a beloved Mount Pleasant eatery, Robaire's Bakery and Doughnut Shop, is closing its doors for the last time.
Robaire Desormes and his wife Dina opened the Bakery in 1961 and remained one of Mount Pleasant's oldest businesses for decades.
They serving the Mount Pleasant and Central Michigan community pastries, doughnuts, cakes and other tasty treats.
A number of factors led to the bakery closing. The height of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the business to lose a majority of its sales and customer base.
"It killed us," said Gerard Desormes, owner of the Robaire's, when talking about the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on his business. "It absolutely killed us. You know, you lose 80% of your business. We never really got all of it back," said Desormes. "Plus, it's just time. After 60 years, none of my kids, you know, none of my children are interested in it."
Additionally, this past April, Dina Desormes, Desormes mother, passed away. Jessica Wiles was one of the managers of Robaire’s. She said after Dina died the bakery wasn't the same.
"When Dina passed away in April, I kind of absorbed a lot of her duties, I did not realize how much she did until she was gone. That was definitely a lot of extra stuff," said Wiles.
Even though Robaire’s is closing, Wiles said an independent decorator from the staff will continue doing specialty cake orders in the coming weeks.
Gerard said he can’t thank the Mount Pleasant and Central Michigan University community enough for their decades-long support.
