La Fiesta Bakery closing after 13 years

A beloved bakery in Las Cruces will soon be closing its doors after more than 10 years in business.

The co-owners of La Fiesta bakery announced its last day in business will be on Saturday, January 19th.

The bakery is located at a shopping center at 455 North Valley Dr.

Gina Ortega is the co-owner of the bakery, a bakery she started along with her husband, Ray Ortega.

“We’re just so thankful to the community, ” Gina Ortega said.

Ortega says it was a tough decision to close the bakery, but it was one she and her husband had to make due to financial reasons.

“We’re doing paperwork and on Monday my husband is showing me the numbers and I’m like, “Oh, my God there’s no way,” There is no way, we are beating a dead horse,” Ortega said.

Ortega says problems started in the summer when a road improvement project on Valley Dr. began in July.

Access to her business was cut off because of the construction.

The 18 month project is still ongoing and drivers are still left without a direct way to get into the shopping center from Valley Dr.

Ortega saw her customer numbers dwindle and it only got worse throughout the year.

La Fiesta Bakery’s loyal customers have urged them to keep the bakery alive and move locations, but Ortega says it’s not that simple.

“There’s nothing more we could have done,” Ortega said. “But you do feel like you failed. People don’t understand what it takes to open a business. They don’t know the money that it takes, the time that it takes, the energy that it takes, but mostly the money.”