Bay Area Jewish bakery Grand Bakery is on sale for just $1

For the past seven years, Sam Tobis has learned the ins and outs of running the Bay Area’s oldest kosher bakery, from holding all-night challah sessions to delivering food to bar mitzvahs and family sit-downs.

Now, he’s trying to find someone else to take on the joy and hard work of Oaklands Grand Bakery, and he’s putting a price on selling the 64-year-old business: just $1.

The goal is to generate as much interest as possible and find someone who is truly the best candidate, Tobis told SFGATE. I wanted the price tag to be accessible, so that anyone interested could buy it, and that wouldn’t be a hindrance.

Tobis added that the bakery makes a small but real profit and urged people to contact them through an online form. This form asks potential owners to explain why they want to buy Grand Bakery, as well as how their experience will help them successfully manage the business in the future.

The interest started on Wednesday evening.

Tobis’ decision to sell comes as he focuses more on Sauls, a Jewish deli in Berkeley, which he acquired last year. He hopes to find a young Jewish baker with a passion for food and business savvy to preserve the legacy of Grand Bakeries.

It’s more than a bakery, it’s a community institution, Tobis said.

Under his ownership, the Grand hosted weaving events in schools and hammantanization ceremonies at Purim carnivals. Delivered bagel and deluxe breakfast kits throughout the Bay Area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Tobis expects to spend some time with whoever he finds to be the right person to take over the business, God knows how long that process will take. “We have the luxury of time in terms of trying to coordinate a smooth transition,” he said.

Tobis is not alone in his decision to prioritize communication over profit for his business future: Earlier this year, a San Francisco pet store owner gave his business away for free.