Closing her business was the last thing Eileen Brown wanted to do.

“I’m going to miss everything about it,” a tearful Brown said about the decision announced on Monday to close How Sweet It Is bakery and deli, just under two years after it opened in a new location on the skywalk. “This has been my breath every day for the past 22 years.”

The business will close on Wednesday but honor all previous orders through Sunday, Brown announced via Facebook.

Brown, 47, originally made her specialty cakes and pastries through churches before establishing the business in the Medical Arts Building downtown seven years ago.

The move to the former Z’s Deli site above the 200 block of West Superior Street was dictated by the fact that the business had outgrown its kitchen in the old place, Brown said. She and her husband, Bob, had budgeted for a decline in sales, but the decline had been steeper than expected.

After looking at the numbers all last week and consulting with an attorney, they made the painful decision on Friday to close. Employees were told on Monday afternoon, Brown said, and the decision was announced via Facebook a short time later.

Talking in her office next to the deli about 15 minutes after the announcement, Brown said the phone hadn’t stopped ringing since, and the emails were constant.

“It’s hard to read them,” she said. “It’s not something I wanted to do.”

Within less than two hours, more than 75 comments were posted on Facebook, with remarks such as “Heartbreaking,” and “This is incredibly sad.”

The decision was unavoidable if the business was to meet all of its obligations, Brown said.

“We wanted to make sure that we would be able to pay our vendors and our staff and make right on what we owe,” she said. “So rather than filing bankruptcy and walking away, we wanted to do it the right way with integrity and make sure people were paid.”

Although How Sweet It Is is adjacent to several other food-related businesses, other sections of the skywalk have numerous closed storefronts. But the only problem with the skywalk is one of perception, Brown said.

“I think it’s an issue of signage and information to the public that the skywalk is safe,” she said. “A lot of people are fearful of the Skywalk, and it’s very safe. … It’s got a bad rap. And it’s an incredible work environment for people.”

The culprit is an economy that makes many people unable or unwilling to pay the higher-end prices for her desserts, Brown said.

“A lot of venues are offering desserts at cost or way below what we could do,” she said. “People want a beautiful dessert, but it’s not in their budget. And we have to pay fair wages because that’s how we work, and we’ve been using local suppliers and those are more costly.”

Her business has been undercut by bakers who work out of their homes, Brown said.

The business has 22 full- and part-time employees, plus four additional workers in the summer, she said. Her first priority, after meeting all of the financial obligations, is making sure they find new jobs.

“All of them are exceedingly talented and will have a glowing recommendation from me,” Brown said. “If anyone would like to talk to them, we need to employ our staff. That’s our priority.”

Once she has closed the books on How Sweet It Is, Brown will be looking for work herself, she said.

People who need to pick up orders after the business is closed should ring the red doorbell on the purple door next to the business, through Sunday. Deposits and paid orders from Nov. 6 forward will be paid back in full, the How Sweet It Is Facebook page announced.