Food and Drink

South End bakery to permanently close after hitting ‘end of our rope,’ owner says

Wheatberry Bakeshop will bid adieu to South End Charlotte next month, just over a year after its debut.

Owner Haley Woodard on Monday shared the “difficult decision” to close the bakery, known for slinging seasonal pastries, cakes and breads. Its last day of service will be Saturday, May 9.

“I know this might come as a little bit of a shock,” Woodard wrote in a farewell message posted on Instagram. “And while there are a lot of factors that have contributed it’s quite simple...we haven’t been able to find a way for this little business to make any money.”

A smiling young woman, wearing a light-colored baseball cap, a white shirt, and a gray apron, stands in front of a red brick wall. She is holding a two-layer, white-frosted cake on a gold cake board. The cake is decorated with a ring of white frosting on top and is sprinkled with what appear to be tiny, colorful sprinkles. She is looking directly at the camera with a happy expression.
Haley Woodard, owner of Wheatberry Bakeshop. Courtesy of Wheatberry Bakeshop
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The European-inspired bakery café opened the doors on its storefront in the Shops at The Winnifred in 2025. A one-stop shop for seasonal baked goods, Wheatberry became a neighborhood favorite and regularly partnered with other Charlotte chefs.

Last summer, Substrate wine bar hosted the bakery for a pop-up event, CharlotteFive previously reported. ESO Artisanal Pasta, an Italian eatery at Optimist Hall, had also used Wheatberry for its fresh focaccia.

The bakery had hoped to move into a larger space that could accommodate both a kitchen and customer-facing retail space. On Monday, Woodard said the business was hitting “the end of our rope” and pointed to recent financial losses that nixed her dreams of expanding.

A close-up shot of two rectangular pieces of golden-brown focaccia bread, glistening with olive oil and topped with a sprig of rosemary. The bread, which has a soft-looking interior, is served in a round, rustic gray bowl. In the blurred background, other dishes and a piece of white cheese are visible.
Wheatberry Bakeshop’s focaccia is among the treasures found at ESO Artisanal Pasta in Optimist Hall. Heidi Finley CharlotteFive
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“Personally I’m sad about saying goodbye to my first business baby, but also very relieved for my life to not revolve around it so heavily,” she wrote on Instagram.

Woodard thanked her team and the local community for its support over the years, assuring fans that the closure was “most likely not a forever goodbye.”

CharlotteFive reached out to inquire about what’s next for the bakery but didn’t immediately hear back.

Wheatberry Bakeshop is open Tuesday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Wheatberry Bakeshop

Location: 1425 Winnifred St #105, Charlotte, NC 28203

Cuisine: Pastries, cakes and breads

Menu

Instagram: @wheatberrybakeshop.clt

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 12:21 PM.

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Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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