Metropolitan Bakery, the Philly chain known for its sourdough loaves, French baguettes and flaky pastries, is changing hands after 32 years in business. It’s the end of an era for a beloved baking giant in the Philadelphia community.
“Thank you for supporting us for more than three decades,” said James Barrett and Wendy Smith Born, the founders of Metropolitan Bakery in a statement. “It has been an honor to serve you and to be part of your celebrations and daily life.”
Peter Merzbacher of Merzbacher’s of Germantown has acquired the iconic Philly bakery.
Barrett and Smith Born said that they have shared their recipes and equipment with Merzbacher, so while they will no longer be running the operation — baked treats from Metropolitan will still be available for purchase online and at specialty shops.
Merzbacher’s opened its Germantown location in 2019. The store is arguably best known for its “Philly Muffin,” a mix between an English muffin and small loaf.
“Honestly, I developed all of my products with Metropolitan being the elephant in the room,” Merzbacher told the Inquirer. “Every account I went to trying to sell a baguette, they were like, ‘I use Metropolitan, we’re happy with it.’ ‘And how about a classic sourdough?’ ‘Yeah, we got it from Metropolitan. We’re pretty happy with it.’ ‘How about a brioche bun?’ ‘Yep, Metropolitan — we’re happy with it.’”
The Inquirer reported that Barrett will serve as a consultant to help with production as the company transitions, and that Merzbacher aims to keep on “as many of Metropolitan’s 40 employees as possible.”
Barrett and Smith Born started Metropolitan in 1993. They met while working as the pastry chef and manager of The White Dog Cafe, respectively. Both of them loved Parisian-style baking, and felt Philadelphia was missing something — so they started their own spot.
“There were no artisan bakeries in Center City,” Barrett told WHYY in 2012. “There were not many artisan bakeries, period, at the time in Philadelphia.”
According to Barrett, part of the longevity and success of Metropolitan has been the authenticity of its recipes.
“All of Metropolitan Bakery Bread is based off one of four sourdough starters,” he said. “They were all created from one singular starter or culture that I developed about 24 years ago. Now, the age doesn’t particularly matter. What matters is that you constantly perpetuate the starter and take care of it like it was one of your children.”
While it’s now common for people to bake their own delicious loaves thanks to viral recipes and a pandemic that kept many of us in our kitchens, Metropolitan is championed for bringing that homemade feel to Philly. The store at its height had five retail shops, including a space in Reading Terminal. Barrett and Smith Born have written two cookbooks featuring their baking recipes.
“We’ve become a community institution: the neighborhood bakery — the place where people go to find their favorite morning treat or evening treat,” Smith Born told WHYY.
Metropolitan Bakery’s iconic location off of Rittenhouse on 19th Street will be closing down as of March 15.
“Thank you for everything, Philadelphia,” the owners wrote on their Instagram. “Be good to each other.”
