John F. Popp, President of Perfection Bakeries, Inc., DBA Aunt Millie’s Bakeries, announced today that the company’s downtown properties are being sold to Sweetwater Sound, Inc.
Aunt Millie’s corporate offices and approximately 125 jobs will remain at the current facility at 350 Pearl St., through a leaseback of space to accommodate those needs. Aunt Millie’s Fort Wayne Bakery closed in April, but the iconic Sunbeam sign will remain atop the building and the company legacy will remain alive in downtown Fort Wayne. The properties include the former bakery and office building and approximately eight acres of other buildings and parking lots.
“We are thrilled to stay at our headquarters downtown, where we have been since our founding in 1901,” said John Popp, “We are very pleased to partner with Chuck Surack and the Sweetwater group and are glad to be a part of their future vision which we are certain will have a positive impact to Fort Wayne. We simply had more space than we needed and feel the extra space will serve a new and better purpose to continuing to serve the community.”
“Aunt Millie’s is a Fort Wayne institution and its sign is iconic in downtown,” said Sweetwater Founder & President Chuck Surack. “We are pleased that with the purchase of this property, we are able to keep the Aunt Millie’s corporate offices in their current location. The property’s proximity to The Landing, riverfront development – including the Sweetwater Stage – and other ventures makes it central to Fort Wayne’s future. We are excited to be part of downtown revitalization and plan to continue to invest in and help support further growth in our city.”
This purchase is unrelated to the $76.4 million dollar expansion project announced last week by Sweetwater at its US Highway 30 campus.