JaCiva's Bakery and Chocolatier | |
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![]() The shop's exterior, 2021 | |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | December 1986 |
Street address | 4733 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard |
City | Portland |
State | Oregon |
Postal/ZIP Code | 97215 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 45°30′44″N122°36′48″W / 45.5121°N 122.6134°W |
Website | jacivas |
JaCiva's Bakery and Chocolatier was a bakery and chocolate shop in Portland, Oregon, United States. The business closed permanently in 2024.
JaCiva's was a bakery and chocolate shop on Hawthorne Boulevard in southeast Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood. [1] The shop had a small private event space and a dessert house called After Dark, which specialized in chocolates, cakes, and tortes. JaCiva's offered pastries, cheesecake, coffee cake, truffles, [2] and other "interestingly shaped" chocolates. [3]
Jack and Iva Elmer co-founded the bakery in December 1986. The couple's daughters operated the business after Jack suffered a stroke in 1990. [1] Iva helped coordinate the temporary installation of American flags along Hawthorne Boulevard at certain times of the year. [4]
Jack died in 2014 at the age of 75. [5] [6] [7] One of his surviving daughters wrote, "He was loved and will be missed greatly." [8]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the business had a take-out window and drive-through operation. Face masks were required even after Oregon's mandate ended, as of March 2022. [9] [10] The business announced plans to close in 2023, [11] citing the pandemic as well as crime and vandalism as reasons. [12] [13] JaCiva's closed on July 29, 2024. [14] [15]
JaCiva's was a runner-up in the Best Sweet Shop/Chocolatier category of Willamette Week 's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2024. [16] Michael Russell included JaCiva's in The Oregonian 's list of the 21 "most painful" restaurant and bar closures of 2024. [17]