Prompted by the pending sale of the building in which Nunyuns Bakery & Café has operated since 2008, Kristine Harbour and Paul Bonelli have announced they will close their Old North End business at the end of May.
Harbour initially told Seven Days that the couple would wait to announce the bakery’s closure until their landlord, Ken Axelson, found a buyer for 139-143 North Champlain Street. However, after more than two months of waiting for the building to sell, she and Bonelli decided to go ahead with their plans.
“The timing just felt right for us,” Harbour wrote by email. “After 16-plus years, we decided it was time to move on. It’s bittersweet, but it’s a good thing for us.”
The two-story building, which includes the 1,740-square-foot bakery and café on the first floor and an upstairs apartment, was listed until last week for $1.3 million through Lake Point Properties. That listing has since expired, according to David Davidson of Lake Point Properties, who had no further comment.
On May 2, Axelson told Seven Days, “We would love to sell it to someone who would continue to operate a restaurant or bakery there.” Axelson did not immediately return a call inquiring whether the building is still for sale.
The café often boasted fanciful, seasonal paintings in its large windows, and a chunky toaster sign graces the storefront corner. Harbour said the sign will stay with the building. As for she and Bonelli, the couple plan to take some time off before deciding what they will do next.
This article appears in May 8-14, 2024.
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