CARROLL GARDENS – AFTER 124 YEARS and five generations of family ownership, Caputo’s Bakery on Court Street abruptly closed on Monday, according to a notice posted in the store’s window by current owner James Caputo, thanking customers and employees.
“It is with immense sadness that I am writing to tell you that the flame in our oven has been lit for the last time […] We are deeply grateful for the trust you placed in us, the stories you shared, and the generations who walked through our doors,” the letter reads.
Several area residents left flowers outside the door, and commenters online, including former area City Councilmember Justin Brannan, mourned the sudden loss of another longtime small business and its specialties, especially its lard bread and black-and-white cookies.
Lard bread fans can still score loaves at nearby Mazzola Bakery on Union Street – but that business is under threat as well, as in October the landlord put the building on the market, although the terms of sale stipulate any new owners must allow the 1928 icon to remain in its location.
Caputo did not offer a reason for the closure in his goodbye letter; some speculated it may have been forced due to a loss of the area’s historic Italian consumer base, a lack of family interest in continuing the business, a need for equipment upgrades or recent health inspection results.
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