An anchor tenant on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, Sweet Jill’s Bakery has withstood the test of time – 25 years to be exact – and owner Jill Pharis is preparing for a new chapter.

Born and raised in Nebraska, Pharis came to California for college in 1973. “Being raised on the farm in Nebraska, you couldn’t access store bought food,” she said. “It was my grandmother who taught us how to bake and how to cook.” After graduating from college, Pharis worked as a teacher for 10 years. Her sister began encouraging Pharis to use her passion for baking to start a business, selling her products. It was her sister who found the location on 2nd Street, and by 1987 Pharis opened Sweet Jill’s Bakery.

“It was an immediate success,” Pharis said. “Three years later (in 1991) I opened the store in Seal Beach on Main Street.” Sweet Jill’s Bakery offers an array of baked products, from cakes, cupcakes, cookies, cheesecake bars, cake sandwiches, brownies, 20 different types of muffins and cinnamon rolls. Her success led to an opportunity to be part of the team that won the bid for operations at the new Long Beach Airport Terminal Concourse, opening to the public December 12.

Sometime in September, Pharis said she was told that the building that houses her bakery was in escrow. “I knew it was on the market at an astronomical price, not thinking it would sell,” she said. The building did sell, however, to Baja Fish Tacos out of Orange County. “It will become owner occupied,” Pharis said, forcing existing tenants to relocate.

Fortunately Sweet Jill’s Bakery will remain in Belmont Shore. The location at 5001 E. 2nd St. is becoming available in December, Pharis said. The location is on the opposite side of the street, three blocks up. The new location will have a different look, including a lounging area, a bar area to work in, and a big screen TV with a sofa. Pharis expects to have everything moved and operating again in January.

“We’re working fast and furious,” she said. “Because of the community support, my involvement with the Long Beach Airport and being on 2nd Street for 25 years in a fabulous community with wonderful employees, I wanted to stay. I really have to commend my employees. They have been with me over 20 years, all of them. They are my backbone. They are wonderful.”

Pharis said the increased cost of commodities make it difficult to provide a quality product at a reasonable price. “Everything is astronomically going straight up,” she said. “Because we offer an oversized product that the customer expects and deserves, we want to keep it at a [reasonable] cost.”

Long Beach Business Journal - http://lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/177-lof-scroller-articles-12-12-03/1128-local-women-small-businesses-owners.html#jillpharis

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