Berkeley’s 50‑Year Bakery Shuts After Political Turmoil and Rising Costs

Nabolom Bakery & Pizzeria opened its doors in 1976 as a worker collective in Berkeley. The shop became known for its breads and pastries and quickly turned into a neighborhood staple. After the original collective closed the business in 2015, two former employees, Sabra Stepak and Julia Elliott, bought the space and reopened about six months later.

The new owners ran the bakery for roughly a decade, but their political activism began to draw backlash. They painted a mural that read “defund the police” and hung a poster that said “Teach Palestine.” They also reposted an image of a BART car that featured an anti‑ICE slogan. Instagram removed their account after the post. The owners later said the incident alone cut sales by 20 percent and hurt their main advertising channel. In addition, they spoke out against a local upzoning plan, which sparked boycott discussions on listservs, Reddit and WhatsApp.

Financial pressure mounted as ingredient, utility and labor costs rose. The bakery operates on thin margins, so the loss of foot traffic hit revenue hard. The shop now owes $30,000 and is two months behind on rent. After 50 years in operation, the partners decided to close the doors for good.

The story reflects a larger trend: many businesses that embrace progressive messaging are finding it harder to survive as consumer attitudes shift. Tolerance for overt “woke” branding appears to be waning, and owners are learning that keeping politics out of day‑to‑day operations may be the safest bet. In a free market, customers ultimately decide which voices get heard, and many are choosing to spend their money elsewhere.