Oakland bakery in former Black Panthers HQ permanently closes
A longtime Oakland bakery located in the old headquarters of the Black Panther Party has permanently closed.
On Jan. 27, butcher paper covered the windows of the It’s All Good Bakery at 5622 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and signs announced, “We are permanently closed. Thank you for 30 years of support!” A neighbor at the barbershop next store said it had shut down the previous week. Asked why, he replied, “We’re all still wondering that ourselves.”
A message posted to the bakery’s Instagram this week proclaimed it was the “end of an era. We have officially closed our doors. We’ve poured our hearts into every batch, but it’s time for us to take a break.”
It’s All Good Bakery was founded in 1996 by Oakland entrepreneur Kim Cloud who, casting about for something to do after his rap career ended, decided to open a depot for sweets. Cloud drew from old family recipes to bake up pecan and sweet-potato pies, 7UP poundcake, lemon ice-box tarts and peach cobbler.
Over its run, well-known Bay Area folks followed their sweet tooth to It’s All Good. One of San Francisco’s mayors was a customer, as was Patti LaBelle, KRON4 news anchor Pam Moore and Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale.
Cloud decorated the bakery with articles and photographs (including the famous 10-Point Program) about the Panthers, who originated in Oakland in the 1960s and claimed the building for their first office. “This became very important, because Kim remembered when he was a child the Black Panther Party sponsored the ‘Free Breakfast Program’ which he and his brothers and sisters participated,” informs the bakery’s website, which is down but available on the Internet Archive.
“The Black Panther Party was known in Oakland to always give back to the community. Once in business, Kim wanted to exemplify that same kind of business model at the bakery,” the website states. “He wanted to be a presence in the Oakland community and give back. By hiring employees that lived in the neighborhood or that couldn’t get jobs at other places, he wanted to provide an opportunity for positive change.”
The building is up for redevelopment into an apartment complex, but the bakery was supposed to remain on the first floor, KTVU reports. A message to the bakery team was not immediately returned this week.
Meanwhile, disappointed customers have shared their memories on Instagram.
“Damn an Oakland staple! Love yall! Family right here!” wrote one person. Said another: “My favorite cakes ever. Thanks for every delicious bite with a side of Oakland history.”