Wonder what happened to Wonderland Bakery at the Grove?

Wonderland’s location at L.A.’s busy Fairfax District mall closed less than three months after introducing shoppers to its signature array of sweet treats.

A January Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing shows that Wonderland Enchanted Bakery at The Grove Inc. owes $106,000 in rent.

Sondra Ames, co-owner of Wonderland, said the closure was the result of a lease dispute between one of its investors – whom Ames declined to name – and Grove landlord Caruso Affiliated. Wonderland’s other location in Newport Beach is still in business.

Ames, who started Wonderland with her daughter, Allyson, said the bakery was doing good business at the Grove and is negotiating with Caruso Affiliated executives to reopen by the end of this month.

“We are committed to our space at the Grove and excited about the location,” Ames said. “We are hopeful that we will be able to open very soon.”

But Jennifer Gordon, senior vice president of events and public relations at Caruso Affiliated, had a different view: “Wonderland Bakery has closed. And unfortunately, we do not expect them to reopen.”

As the Business Journal reported in December, the mother-daughter baking entrepreneurs opened their shop at the Grove after owner Rick Caruso received a referral from fellow billionaire Donald Bren. The Orange County real estate developer owns the Newport Beach shopping center where Wonderland launched its first store more than five years ago.

Wonderland Bakery made its Grove debut in November with a brightly decorated 4,000-square-foot-space stocked with cookies, cupcakes and other baked goods, Wonderland-branded apparel, toys and at-home baking kits. The Grove location was the model for six additional bakeries the Ameses planned to open nationwide during the next two years.

Sondra Ames said if the store can’t reopen at the Grove, she plans to open a location elsewhere in Los Angeles. What’s more, she added, Wonderland is currently eyeing possible locations for a New York shop.

“We need to have a location in Los Angeles and New York,” she said. “They are very important locations for us and our overall brand.”