Nutty Greek Bake Shop closes after 15 years on Preston Street

The silver and stainless steel countertops at Nutty Greek Bake Shop, typically filled with baked goods, sat empty on its last day, September 19. The family-run bakery, a fixture on Preston Street for 15 years, closed its doors as owner Anna Papadopoulos, who worked behind the register, picked up a final brown bag—a small village salad, side of chicken, and two boxes of baked goods.

The Papadopoulos family announced the closure August 24. Esau and her staff had eaten at the bakery for 14 of its 15 years in operation; the bakery family visited Esau's spa. They were friends, sitting together at a family seat to discuss business, staff, customers, and strategies. "I've never seen the shelves empty," Esau said on the last day.

On closure day, lines formed—not from regulars stopping by, but from people rushing in for a final purchase. "Because people are coming in lines and buying because it's the last hurrah," Esau said. She told the family: "It's a testament to how much people love you."

Inside, height measurements of the owners' children were marked in black on a tall metal post next to the register—a record of the family's life inside the shop. The children had been fed in a high chair while making cookies at night, tying the business to the family's rhythm.

Tom Rizakos, whose ancestors were from Greece, was at the bakery on its final day. He moved from Montreal to Ottawa roughly 10 years ago, and the Nutty Greek had been his only constant in that decade. He visited during COVID and continued until moving to Gatineau—yet he returned for the closure.

Esau was hopeful the family would start another business, saying they "just need a break." But the pressure is real. "Business is very different now and we have many challenges now that we did not have pre-COVID, and expenses are much higher," Esau said. "Business owners, as a whole, can tend to be resilient until they're not. You're fighting until you can't do it anymore."