News release from Aunt Millie’s:
Aunt Millie’s downtown properties sold to Sweetwater
(October 8, 2018) – John F. Popp, President of Perfection Bakeries, Inc., DBA Aunt Millie’s Bakeries, announced today that the company’s downtown properties are being sold to Sweetwater Sound, Inc.
Aunt Millie’s corporate offices and approximately 125 jobs will remain at the current facility at 350 Pearl St., through a leaseback of space to accommodate those needs. Aunt Millie’s Fort Wayne Bakery closed in April, but the iconic Sunbeam sign will remain atop the building and the company legacy will remain alive in downtown Fort Wayne. The properties include the former bakery and office building and approximately eight acres of other buildings and parking lots.
“We are thrilled to stay at our headquarters downtown, where we have been since our founding in 1901,” said John Popp, “We are very pleased to partner with Chuck Surack and the Sweetwater group and are glad to be a part of their future vision which we are certain will have a positive impact to Fort Wayne. We simply had more space than we needed and feel the extra space will serve a new and better purpose to continuing to serve the community.”
“Aunt Millie’s is a Fort Wayne institution and its sign is iconic in downtown,” said Sweetwater Founder & President Chuck Surack. “We are pleased that with the purchase of this property, we are able to keep the Aunt Millie’s corporate offices in their current location. The property’s proximity to The Landing, riverfront development – including the Sweetwater Stage – and other ventures makes it central to Fort Wayne’s future. We are excited to be part of downtown revitalization and plan to continue to invest in and help support further growth in our city.”
This purchase is unrelated to the $76.4 million dollar expansion project announced last week by Sweetwater at its US Highway 30 campus.
About Aunt Millie’s
Aunt Millie’s Bakeries is a family-owned company headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since 1901. The company is one of the largest commercial bakeries in the U.S., producing Aunt Millie’s bread and bakery products and other brands, which are distributed throughout the Midwest, and nationwide. Aunt Millie’s operates six bakeries in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, and more than 50 branch depots and 35 outlet stores in those states, plus Kentucky, Illinois and Wisconsin.
About Sweetwater Sound
Founded in 1979, Sweetwater is the No. 1 online retailer of music instruments and audio gear in the U. S. The company is respected as the nation’s leading retailer serving musicians, recording studios, broadcast, education, and houses of worship. Sweetwater’s customers can be found everywhere music is heard and audio is played, broadcast, or recorded, including recording, film, and broadcast studios in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami; in hundreds of thousands of home recording studios; and in schools and churches nationwide. Sweetwater’s founding and meteoric growth are built on a knowledgeable and experienced staff, outstanding selection and pricing, and, above all, an unwavering commitment to customer service excellence in every situation. For further information, visit Sweetwater.com.