A popular cafe and bakery in central Wellington has announced its closure, with the owner saying she wants to focus on having a healthy baby after losing one last year.

Sweet Release describes itself as the first all vegan cafe in Wellington. It’s been in business for the past 11 years, moving from Willis St to its current Manners St location five years ago.

Owner Kris Bartley has been outspoken about the challenges of running a hospitality business in the Wellington CBD.

In August last year, Bartley spoke about having her worst day of sales in 10 years, blaming public sector job cuts on the capital’s struggling economy.

Fewer people than ever were coming into the store and it was harder than during Covid, she said at the time.

She also expressed concerns about safety in the area.

Bartley told the Herald things had improved since then and the shop had been busy but the decision to close was a personal one, unrelated to the sector’s wider struggles.

“That sort of feels quite minor compared to what I’m going through personally at the moment”, she said.

Sweet Release is located on Manners St. Photo / Sweet Release

In a post on social media today, Bartley spoke of the “heartbreak” of losing baby Jack late last year, five months into her pregnancy.

“Coming back to work after that kind of heartbreak felt impossible. But so many of you helped me find some rhythm again. You showed up, held space, and gave me room to just be. I’ll never forget that.

“Now, I’m pregnant again. And while it’s not without fear, our focus is on doing everything we can to bring home a healthy baby and grow our family.”

Bartley said with the business’s lease coming to an end it made sense to close.

“I just don’t have it in me while I’m pregnant, while I’m grieving”, she said.

Bartley said the decision was not taken lightly and she will be sad to say goodbye to her loyal customers.

“I’ve watched people’s kids grow up and I’ve seen people have their first dates here to getting married. A lot of things happen in 11 years.”

She said she is already expecting to miss baking and is leaving the door open to potentially doing catering work in the future, but said her immediate focus is on herself and her family.

“I need to just make sure this baby is born healthy.”

The 2022 Parliament occupation saw the business take a hit, with Bartley saying at the time she was considering shutting after protesters abused staff by yelling, crying, and being aggressive.

Bartley said the protesters’ behaviour left staff mentally exhausted.

Today’s announcement is the latest in a string of hospitality shutdowns in the capital, with last year seeing a wave of closures including cafes Bordeaux and Pandoro, due to economic challenges and construction disruption, as well as restaurants like Concord and Mabel’s.

Other establishments, including Myrtle bakery and cafe, Olive and the Hudson also closed, with their owners citing numerous factors.

Earlier this year, Thorndon restaurant Daisy’s announced its closure citing “political and economic turmoil” and wine bar Plonk announced it too was shutting up shop, with the operator saying reduced foot traffic in the area was the main cause.

Sweet Release’s last day will be July 13.

Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at [email protected].