Iconic Bay Area bakery and pizzeria closing its doors after 50-year run: ‘We’re exhausted’

A beloved California bakery that has served up sweet treats and savory pies for 50 years is closing its doors for good Sunday, as soaring costs and mounting business pressures take their toll.

Nabolom Bakery & Pizzeria, a longtime Berkeley fixture known for its fruit danishes, challah, cinnamon twists and vegetarian pizzas, will shut down after decades of serving the Bay Area community.

Co-owner Sabra Stepak told SFGate that rising ingredient and utility costs, employee turnover and fierce competition have made it increasingly difficult to keep the business running.

“It’s something that’s going on with all small businesses,” Stepak said. “Chocolate has increased three times. My PG&E (utilities) has gone up like 70%.”

The news of the closure has sparked a rush of customers hoping to get one last taste of the neighborhood favorite.

Nabolom saw a line out the door between 8 and 11 a.m. Friday and sold out of pastries, Stepak said.

“We’ve probably had our most viable days in 10 years, probably three times more than we usually sell,” she said.

The business, which was started as a worker collective in 1976, has weathered financial trouble before.

It almost closed in 2004 when owners announced the business was nearly $30,000 in debt and two months behind on rent. The bakery tried to stay afloat by taking advance payments for baked goods and exploring new offerings, including gourmet pizza and live events.

Nabolom did eventually close down in 2015 after several members of the collective left.

A year later, Stepak and Julia Elliott bought the business, paid off most of its debt and transitioned it to private ownership. They revived the bakery and continued serving customers for another decade.

Now, longtime patrons are mourning the loss.

“Without a doubt, the recent incarnation of Nabolom with Julia and Sabra, was THE BEST BAKERY in Berkeley,” one user commented. “I have lived in Berkeley for 60 years, and now grieve!”

Stepak said she remains open to selling the business to someone willing to keep it going.

“We’ve agonized over it and we just can’t do it anymore,” she said. “We’re exhausted.”

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