Pete Merzbacher Buys Metropolitan Bakery; Rittenhouse Store Closes March 15

Pete Merzbacher, owner of Merzbacher’s bakery in Germantown, has purchased Metropolitan Bakery’s brand, recipes, and equipment, and the Rittenhouse retail shop on 19th Street will close permanently on March 15, 2026. Metropolitan’s founders, James Barrett and Wendy Smith Born, announced the sale as they wind down the bakery’s roughly three‑decade run, while Merzbacher commits to keeping Metropolitan products available through wholesale and mail‑order channels.

Merzbacher plans a staged operational transition: his staff will initially learn Metropolitan’s processes at the bakery’s production space in Fishtown, then eventually bake Metropolitan breads, granola, and many pastries at Merzbacher’s Germantown facility, which opened in 2019. Merzbacher’s will also begin selling Metropolitan products at its Rittenhouse farmers market stall and through existing specialty shops and markets across the region, preserving online mail‑order service for out‑of‑town customers.

Founders Barrett and Smith Born framed the sale as continuity for long‑term customers, noting Metropolitan’s multigenerational reach. Barrett observed, “Now we are servicing grandchildren of our original customers and folks that have moved cross country [who] mail‑order our products.” In a joint message quoted in local coverage, the founders added, “Thank you for supporting us for more than three decades. It has been an honor to serve you and to be part of your celebrations and daily life.” Metropolitan’s own Instagram announced the retail closure with the post, “On March 15th, Metropolitan Bakery will be closing our retail location on Rittenhouse Square after an amazing 32 year run.”

Metropolitan’s production footprint and product list remain central to the transition: the bakery’s Fishtown production space will be the initial training site for Merzbacher’s team, while Metropolitan’s offerings — crusty sourdough boules, European‑style loaves, French baguettes, flaky pastries, rolls and granola — are slated to continue in wholesale accounts and online orders. Wendy Smith Born recalled a customer ritual that helped define the shop, saying, “People just keep coming back,” and remembering, “At the end of the day, after being beaten up at work, they come in and get a beautiful sour cherry‑chocolate chip cookie or something. Those are the memories that stay with me.”

Both parties declined to disclose financial terms of the sale, and sources differ on Metropolitan’s tenure: some reports and the bakery’s Instagram describe a 32‑year run, while other coverage refers to a 33‑year history. No founding year or exact opening date was provided in statements or the materials announcing the transaction.

The immediate takeaway for customers is concrete: the 19th Street Rittenhouse retail storefront will close March 15, 2026, but Metropolitan‑branded breads, rolls, granola and many pastries will remain available through Merzbacher’s wholesale, mail‑order and farmers market channels as Merzbacher’s absorbs the brand and production into its Germantown operations.