Southport sourdough bakery cited after replacing parking with picnic tables

Southport Sourdough Bakery & Fresh Market turned a row of front-of-house parking into a more linger-friendly setup, then ran straight into the city’s rules. The bakery at 706/708 N. Howe St. removed four parking spaces, including one ADA-accessible spot, and replaced them with planters and picnic tables, a move that sharpened the tension between a quick-stop retail stop and a place built for customers to sit awhile.

Southport city code enforcement issued the violation on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The owners must clear the obstructions by Friday, May 22, 2026, or face fines of $25 per day. They also have until June 11, 2026, to appeal to the Board of Adjustment, which would pause the fines while the case is reviewed.

The dispute is not just about where a car parks. Robert Carroll said Jon Langley told city staff that ADA parking was available behind the building, but the city said the back route is uneven and not accessible for wheelchairs. Officials also said they could not verify whether customers were being directed to park behind the bakery through property associated with Mayor Joe Pat Hatem. In a compact downtown like Southport, where alley access can matter for deliveries, loading and emergency response, the parking strip in front of a bakery is part of the operating plan as much as the oven and the retail counter.

That makes the issue especially pointed for Southport Sourdough, a business that has sold itself as more than a bread stop. The Langley family’s sourdough venture grew after Peyton Langley was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and what began as a push for healthier organic bread became a bakery and fresh market built around daily-baked loaves and neighborhood support. Its public listing says it is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The market side reaches well beyond bread, with local produce, dairy, eggs, meats, A2A2 milk, ice cream, sourdough pasta and other specialty items. A 2025 downtown walking map already placed Southport Sourdough among the town’s food stops and marked the block as downtown business parking, which is exactly why this fight lands with more weight than a minor housekeeping issue. In Southport, the question is not just how a bakery sells bread, but whether it feels like a grab-and-go storefront or a place the neighborhood is meant to use, and stay in.