JaCiva's Bakery and Chocolatier was a bakery and chocolate shop in Portland, Oregon, United States. The business closed permanently in 2024.
Description
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]
History
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]
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]