The Love Loaf, the artisan bakery known for milling its own organic and ancient grains at 7415 Collins Ave., will close its North Beach storefront on Wednesday, September 30, as the sprawling Ocean Terrace redevelopment closes in on its block. Owner Suzana “Suzi” Rodrigues says the bakery is being forced to shut down, though she has not identified the specific reason behind the closure.
Rodrigues shared the news on Instagram on August 13, according to Miami New Times. The bakery sits within the footprint of the Ocean Terrace redevelopment, a project stretching across nearly the full block between 74th and 75th Streets that includes 7409 Collins Ave. and calls for extensive demolition, restoration, and new construction — residential and hotel towers alongside new retail space.
The Love Loaf plans to relocate to 7337 Collins Ave., just one block south, but the new space needs considerable work to meet code requirements. Rodrigues estimates the bakery won't reopen until the first half of 2027, meaning bread production will pause entirely during the move. In the meantime, the shop needs a temporary production kitchen and is considering pop-ups, delivery, and even a collaboration with another local business to stay connected to customers.
A Three-Year Journey Now Interrupted
Rodrigues left a 20-year corporate finance career to found The Love Loaf, spending three years preparing before the permanent Collins Avenue storefront finally opened in 2024, according to Business Debut. The bakery quickly built a following for its sourdough made with heirloom and ancient grains, along with a menu of pastries, cakes, sandwiches, coffee, and matcha. Its reputation grew fast — by October 2024, The Love Loaf was a finalist in the statewide Best Baguette & Croissant in Florida competition hosted by French Morning.
Rodrigues has said keeping her team together is a priority as the bakery navigates the gap between locations, and she has no firm plan yet for the months in between. She credited customers with helping root the shop in North Beach and said the bakery's heart will always belong to the neighborhood. She has asked people with ideas, opportunities, or production space to reach out, and plans to post updates about where the team will bake in the interim. Instagram commenters have floated their own suggestions, including space at 7500 Collins Ave., a hotel pop-up, or a ghost kitchen.
The Megaproject Reshaping the Block
The Love Loaf's displacement follows Taquiza's departure from North Beach, the blue-masa taqueria that closed its longtime location at 7450 Ocean Terrace on July 31 after eight years in business and announced it was relocating across the bay to Little River. Together the two closures illustrate a broader pattern of independent food businesses being pushed out of the beachfront district as the Ocean Terrace project advances.
The redevelopment has deep roots. Miami Beach voters rejected an initial upzoning proposal from developer Sandor Scher in a November 2015 referendum, with 55 percent voting no — the first time residents had voted on a citywide upzoning question under the city's charter, per The Real Deal. The city commission responded by creating the Ocean Terrace Overlay District in June 2016, and the Historic Preservation Board approved a final site plan in September 2021 that integrates historic Art Deco structures like the Broadmoor and Ocean Surf hotels into the new construction, according to Florida YIMBY. R.J. Heisenbottle Architects handled the historic preservation work while Revuelta Architecture designed the new 20-story tower.
Financing, Sales, and a New Park
The project gained fresh momentum in February 2025 when Witkoff Group and Ocean Terrace Holdings secured an $85 million pre-construction loan from J.P. Morgan, with Steve and Alex Witkoff joining original developers Scher and Alex Blavatnik to help capitalize the venture, the same real estate outlet reported. Sales for Ocean Terrace Residences launched in October 2025 after developers had already banked more than $200 million in pre-construction sales, with condo prices starting at $6.3 million and completion targeted for 2029. The finished project pairs architecture from Revuelta Architecture International with interiors by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and will include a 52-unit condo tower, 24 resort residences, and a 42-room luxury hotel, per PROFILEmiami.
Ahead of the commercial displacement, the city celebrated the completion of a $15 million, 5-acre oceanfront park on the site in September 2025, designed by landscape architect Raymond Jungles and funded by Ocean Terrace Holdings under a municipal development agreement, according to the City of Miami Beach. The park connects the North Beach Bandshell area to Altos Del Mar Park with green space and pedestrian walkways.
Tax Revenue Fuels the Broader Boom
Tax increment revenues generated by major North Beach redevelopments like Ocean Terrace feed directly into the North Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, created by the city in February 2021 to self-fund local infrastructure and resiliency projects. Projects like Ocean Terrace and the nearby Deauville site are now generating millions annually for that agency, The Real Deal reported. While city officials and developers frame that revenue stream as vital neighborhood revitalization, longtime independent businesses like The Love Loaf and Taquiza continue to face disruption, temporary hiatuses, or outright displacement from the beachfront district they helped define.
