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Cherished Berkeley bakery, pizzeria quietly closes after five decades
SFGATE • • business
Key Points:
- Nabolom Bakery & Pizzeria, a beloved Berkeley bakery with a 50-year history, will permanently close this Sunday due to financial pressures and a challenging competitive market.
- Co-owner Sabra Stepak cited rising ingredient and utility costs, including a 70% increase in PG&E bills and tripled chocolate prices, along with high employee turnover, as key factors in the closure.
- The bakery, originally founded as a collective in 1976, survived previous financial hardships but ultimately could not sustain operations despite efforts such as introducing gourmet pizzas and live music events.
- After a closure in 2015 and reopening in 2016 under new ownership by Julia Elliott and Sabra Stepak, Nabolom saw a recent surge in customer support but still faced insurmountable challenges.
- Stepak expressed exhaustion and openness to selling the business, while planning to take a break and seek new employment following the closure.
