Beloved bakery returns – taking over foodie town’s historic market café

Nation Cymru staff

A beloved bakery which was forced to close earlier this year due to rising overheads has returned to one of Wales’ foodie havens – taking over the historic town’s busy market café.

O’Connell’s Bakery is a husband and wife run business ‘offering a wide range of mouth watering goodies, baked daily’ – and was a fixture in Abergavenny up until a flood added extra pressure to the business on top of lower footfall at their less-central location and rising overheads.

While concentrating on their business in Pontypool, the couple plotted a return to Abergavenny in a more prominent location, keeping their cards close to their chest until the paperwork was signed, sealed and delivered.

Yesterday, however, they let the cat out of the bag, sharing the news of their impending return to the town’s indoor market with their 42,000 Facebook followers.

They shared: “Big news Abergavenny!

“Well, we’ve got something exciting to share with you all!

Today, we picked up the keys to the old café in Abergavenny Market!

“We’ll be working hard over the coming weeks to give the place a fresh new look and get everything ready to bring you something special… 👀

“Our new bakery & sandwich bar!

“Expect freshly made sandwiches, delicious bakery treats and plenty of goodies from the team at O’Connell’s Bakery!

“We can’t wait to get stuck in, show you the transformation and welcome you through the doors. This is an exciting new chapter for us, and we’re so pleased to be bringing something new to Abergavenny Market!”

To drive engagement and get the word out, the team came up with an idea, adding: “But… we need your help!

“We haven’t come up with a name for our new venture yet!

“What should we call it?

“Drop your name ideas in the comments below. We’d love to hear your suggestions, and you never know… your idea could be the one we choose!

“Give this post a share and help us spread the word!

“Something exciting is cooking in Abergavenny Market… and we can’t wait to share it with you!”

Homecoming

The owners of the much-loved bakery shared their ‘incredibly hard decision’ to close the premises after seeing a ‘significant decrease in footfall and customer spending, alongside rising running costs’ back in May 2026.

Owing to the impact of the floods and rising costs, they said they have had no other choice not to renew their lease on the Abergavenny location.

Sharing the news on Facebook, owners Chris and Rhian wrote: “While we’re currently away enjoying a family holiday, we felt now was the right time to share some important news with you all.

“After a great deal of thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision not to renew the lease for our shop at 30 Frogmore Street. Our final day trading in Abergavenny will be Thursday 14th August.

“This has been an incredibly hard decision for us to make. Over recent years we’ve seen a significant decrease in footfall and customer spending, alongside rising running costs, and truthfully we’ve never fully recovered from the impact of the floods. Sadly, it’s reached the point where keeping the shop open is no longer sustainable.

“Although this chapter is coming to an end, this isn’t goodbye from us entirely. We are exploring other opportunities and avenues for the future, even though we’ve recently had some disappointing news on one possibility we had hoped for. We’ll keep searching for the right fit — so if you know of any suitable opportunities or spaces, please do get in touch.

“We want to say a huge thank you to every single person who has supported us since we moved to Abergavenny five years ago. Whether you popped in regularly, recommended us to friends, stopped for a chat, or supported us through the difficult times — it has meant more than you’ll ever know. We’ve made so many wonderful memories and met some truly amazing people along the way.

“Our Pontypool shop will continue to run as normal, so we’re not disappearing completely and we hope to still see many of you there.

“Thank you, Abergavenny, for welcoming us and supporting our little business over the past five years. We’ll always be grateful.”

Their devoted customers shared their disappointment beneath the post, with many pointing to the location off the main high street with no nearby traffic lights or zebra crossings being a factor why they were often unable to visit.

The thriving market, however, has been seen as a sure-fire route to success, with one Facebook commenter responding: “Much better place for you to be, hopeful more footfall for you too, also keep your branding, you’re already known and loved.”

Another added: “You’ve got to stay with O’Connells. Everybody knows who you are and will travel miles to see you. Glad to hear you’re back in Aber.”

While another shared: “Excellent news. You so deserve to expand and grow. I’m sure your new venture will be very successful indeed.

“As for the name, your name has got you a long way so why change it. Work with what people know and recognise “O’Connells.”

“It’s a lovely name and rolls off the tongue. Wishing you every success!”

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