The iconic Helms Bakery in Culver City's Arts District is closing again, after a revival that lasted barely a year. Chef and operator Sang Yoon broke the news on Instagram with a short, somber note confirming the final day of service will be on December 14.
View this post on Instagram
The ambitious project was greeted with much excitement, but, according to Yoon, the bakery couldn't survive the current landscape for independent restaurants in Los Angeles. Yoon referenced "immense challenges" that have reshaped how people dine and how businesses operate. Rising costs, shifting habits and long term pressures that have hit every corner of the city’s dining scene caught up with Helms and it was all too much handle, even for someone with Yoon’s track record.
The current incarnation of Helms Bakery was a revival of the Los Angeles original that first opened in 1931, which closed in 1969 because of rising costs and a changing industry.
After more than a decade of red tape and permitting delays, Yoon finally reopened the doors in November 2024 inside the same sprawling 14,000 square foot Culver City building where the original was located. Crowds lined up on day one for sourdough bread, croissants, fruit tarts, fried chicken, refrigerated treats and pints of Thrifty ice cream.
Why is Helms Bakery closing?
The challenge of maintaining a space as large as Helms with inconsistent foot traffic coupled with shifting work patterns and dining habits hit the bakery hard. But Helms isn't the only project of Yoon's to suffer—his Arts District location of Father's Office closed in September after five years.
In the Instagram post, Yoon went a bit into detail.
"The last several years in Los Angeles have brought immense challenges for independent restaurants and changed how people dine and how businesses operate," he wrote on the platform. "Together, these factors have made it increasingly difficult to sustain Helms in its current form."
Yoon thanked guests who made the bakery part of their routines and encouraged everyone to stop by before the doors shut for good.
"We are deeply grateful for this chapter and for everyone who has supported us, shared a pastry with a friend, or made us part of their routines and celebrations," he wrote. "We hope to see you before we close, and we look forward to what the future holds."