After more than a year of serving fresh baked goods, deli platters, sandwiches, Saturday and Sunday hot ham, treats, coffee and more, NotJoeAverage Bakehouse & Deli announced it will close its doors at 2601 S. Sunnyslope Rd. in New Berlin.

Owners Amanda and Joe Volpentesta posted the news Friday on the business' Facebook page, encouraging the community and guests to come to their cash-only going-out-of-business blowout sale in early to mid-October.  

“Hello Everyone,

"I am very sorry for our absence, lately. I have avoided most of social media, my emails, my texts, and my voicemails. I’m sorry for this, as I know avoidance is not the answer but this just has been such a difficult time for us. But, it’s time to rip this off like a bandaid….. Joe and I have decided it is time to close our doors permanently. This has been a heartbreaking reality to face.

"We’ve gotten ourselves to a point where there is nothing left to sacrifice, and we have not had our heads above water for a good while now. It feels like we’ve come to the breaking point. It breaks our hearts to know that the limited resources that we can personally afford is what is keeping our store from its true potential.

"We laid our crew off several months ago, as most of you may have noticed. We both picked up second jobs to carry the store. As you can safely assume having a second job and a family amongst other things- has shoved us toward burn-out with running an under-staffed store for 50+ hours/wk. I personally dropped the ball on a couple of orders because of this.

"I am having a very hard time accepting all of this. It’s honestly almost felt like grieving. We’ve gone back and forth with our decision. It’s been very hard to put words to paper, I’ve written eight drafts of this post over the last week.

"We are so sorry to all of you guys. We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to serve this amazing community, and to have met so many wonderful people, and to have learned the lessons we have along the way. Thank you so much to each and every one of you!

"We will be having a cash only going-out-of-business blowout sale sometime in early/mid October. This sale will include food, some interior & exterior decor items, and several of Joes finished wood projects. I will post with an update on that so you all can come out and let us see your faces one last time. We will uphold all confirmed orders.

"Joe has gotten back into his painting- so, if any of you have any projects, I just happen to know a guy! Also, I will be looking into selling scratch-made special diet treats on Etsy, in the near future.

"Again, we are so sorry. We HATE to disappoint you guys. We can not express enough gratitude for your continued support over the last 16 months. You all have warmed our hearts- we love you!!!"

For more information about NotJoeAverage's upcoming going-out-of-business sale, check the deli's Facebook page or website.