A suburban Chicago bakery that was targeted after announcing plans to host a family-friendly drag brunch has officially closed its doors "forever," despite earlier plans to remain open.
In a lengthy announcement posted on the UpRising Bakery Facebook page, owner Corinna Sac said Wednesday marked her business' final day, though she promised "this is not goodbye."
"We all truly thank you for being a part of our dream and our journey, especially over the last year and I especially thank those who have donated their hard earned monies to us," Sac wrote. "I want to be abundantly clear, This is not goodbye. I promise you will be seeing A LOT of our faces and good outcomes will sprout from the hideous actions of so many, against us here. This will not continue to happen to people, not while I have a voice and a beating heart."
Sac had previously said her bakery and staff suffered from months of "horrific harassment that no business should endure," which ultimately led to financial woes. But after announcing plans to close earlier this year, UpRising Bakery in Lake in the Hills revealed it would continue operating after it managed to raise more than the $30,000 in funds needed to stay open.
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At the time, Sac said the "groundswell of support" proved "people want us in McHenry County," but was looking into new locations.
Her post on Tuesday, however, mentioned no news of a change in address.
"Dreams don’t last forever, you have them, enjoy them; and then all of a sudden you’re in a new one," Sac wrote this week. "Some dreams mean so much you try to force it to come back, to finish, but ultimately it’s gone and it’s time for you to be experience something new. Our team of amazing individuals are now all moving onto experience new dreams. Dreams with renewed hope, security, and promise."
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UpRising Bakery and Cafe first became the center of controversy in July 2022.
The bakery first made headlines last summer when it scheduled a drag show brunch that was set to be for all ages. In what would eventually become part of a national trend, the bakery was quickly targeted with "hateful comments and fake negative reviews" and, later, threats of violence and vandalism.
The night before the planned event, the bakery's windows were broken and walls were defaced with spray paint, forcing the cancellation of the performance.
A report from the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism makes note of several drag events across the country that have been canceled over safety concerns after being targeted by extremist groups. A similar event at the Downers Grove Public Library was also canceled due to such threats.
Following the vandalism and canceled drag show, Sac said she faced ongoing threats, "horrific harassment, vandalism" and a "lack of support from local government to mitigate the abuse," all of which led to a decline in sales.
"People are angry everywhere," Sac said. "When someone is wronged, we cannot just make a donation and it’s all better, although it does help the immediate crisis, it doesn’t solve the problem. We have to actively work with people to help them unlearn and change their patterns. It is crucial that the patterns of bigotry, cancel culture, “go woke go broke”, and the violence that we have been taught for generations be flipped on their heads. We must keep moving forward as a society, not backwards."
