Much-loved downtown Brown’s Court Bakery will close its doors Nov. 17 in an announcement that took the Charleston foodie world by surprise.
Owner David Schnell thanked customers and staff for 11 years of patronage and service, but pointed to the needs of his family as a driver in the decision to shutter.
Schnell told the Charleston City Paper that owning a bakery for 11 years eventually led to burnout.
“After a while, you’ve got to be a grownup about it,” he said. “It’s the best decision for my family… I try to be as good a dad and husband as I can be, but ultimately I was always here [at Brown’s Court].”
Brown’s Court currently sells its wholesale products to about 60 restaurants and hotels, according to Schnell. Now, he said the restaurants are asking him where they should buy their bread. He said he doesn’t necessarily have an answer.
“I’ve been doing this for 11 years and there’s not been a whole lot of movement in the baking scene,” he said. Schnell noted that area restaurants can buy wholesale bread from other local spots such as Saffron and Normandy Farms, but that there aren’t as many wholesale bakeries around town as one might expect in a foodie city of this size.
This city needs more bread
Charleston City Paper chatted with Schnell and other local bakers this spring about the importance of sourcing local breads and bakery products.
“The easiest place for you to get your bread is gonna be the same place that you’re buying your veggies and your meat or whatever else,” said Schnell. “But, I think the biggest thing that’s going to differentiate our product and other [local bakers’ products], as opposed to some of the store brands, is just the flavor.”
He went on to detail some of the processes Brown’s Court used to create those flavors, including long fermentation time and borrowing French techniques.
“A lot of our recipes, like our brioche recipe, are straight up French,” he said. “It’s a ton of butter and a ton of milk. And, with our baguettes, there’s a long fermentation with a poolish starter and gets a 24-hour rest before the baguette has to be shaped the next morning.”
That attention to detail paid off. Brown’s Court was home to a host of cult classic pastries (sriracha croissants and bear claws to name a few), and even made writer Robert Moss’ list of “dishes that defined a decade in Charleston.” Brown’s Court’s Hawaiian rolls got a shoutout in the mention of crispy oyster sliders at The Ordinary.
Breaking bread or just breaking
Schnell said that part of his burnout is due to his hands-on approach to baking and running a business.
“When we first got into this… it broke me at the beginning. I was working 16 to 18 hours a day and napping on the floor upstairs,” he said. “Once people realized Brown’s Court [had quality products], you had to keep taking people. You can’t really slow that train.”
Like so many businesses, restaurants and others, Schnell said that finding staff is hard. Look no further than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s recent article, “Understanding America’s Labor Shortage,” which said “the leisure and hospitality industry has experienced the highest quit rates of all industries, with the accommodation and food services subsector of this industry experiencing a quit rate consistently above 4.5 percent since July 2021.”
While Schnell said he doesn’t necessarily know what’s next — for himself or the building on St. Philip St. — he knows that he’s making a decision with his family in mind.
“I would be doing a disservice to my wife and child if I didn’t get out of this now, knowing how hard it has been,” he said.
Brown’s Court will remain open until Nov. 17. Follow the bakery online to stay up-to-date with hours and additional info.
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