Good Egg gift shop is closing in June
Mika Bareket will be the first to tell you that the only thing better than eating a hearty homecooked meal is cooking one yourself.
Good Egg, Bareket’s cookbook and gift shop, announced Monday that it will be closing after a decade of serving up sweet reads, kitchenware and knickknacks in Kensington Market.
The decision comes after the shop was unsuccessful in negotiating a new lease.
“It’s been a draining process,” Bareket said.“Right now we are focused on our last few months in business, bidding farewell to all our lovely customers and liquidating our inventory.”
While Bareket’s shop is mostly focused on food-related items, she said, Good Egg “tends to veer off topic” into a wide variety of themes, including children’s books, fiction, and arts and crafts. The shop sprung out of Bareket’s past, managing other bookstores across the city. Opening a bookstore of her own seemed logical, she said.
“I feel very strongly about cooking at home, given all of the options to purchase readymade food,” Bareket said. “I try to offer the alternative to oldfashioned cooking at home.”
As for the store’s cheery name, Bareket noted that traditional cookbooks tend to open with egg recipes. While she says she’s a “big fan” of eggs and their versatility, she found Good Egg to be a cute phrase with more than one meaning. The shop’s elaborate window displays draws in pedestrians wandering down Augusta Ave., and the bright interior is filled to bursting with curiosities, ranging from baking trays and dessert-themed posters to board games and milk carton-themed pencil cases. Public response to the store’s closure has been overwhelming, Bareket said.
“I’m absolutely crushed. Seeing all the faces from many years past come in, wishing us well has been heartbreaking,” she said.
As for any future plans to reopen, Bareket said she would “absolutely consider it,” if a suitable space can be found. Before that, though, she plans to take a break.
The store’s liquidation sale will run until it officially shuts its doors in June.