Italian bakery makes move to Crickhowell from valleys town

Stephen Price

A much-loved Italian bakery has upped sticks from its valleys location to Crickhowell after struggling to keep the business afloat in an area with little footfall or tourist trade.

Formerly known as The Little Italia Bakery and located just off the high street in Abertillery, the newly-renamed Crickhowell Bakery is set to open in the charming Powys town soon, after its owners Magda and Jon made the ‘heartbreaking’ decision at the end of last year.

The bakery had grown a strong reputation for its authentic breads, Italian focaccias, indulgent patisseries,  desserts and cakes – with many items made vegan to ensure everyone could enjoy.

Despite a loyal fan base, however, rising overheads and lower sales than at their pop-ups in Crickhowell market meant that, in order to keep afloat, and to keep Magda’s talent and passion for baking alive, the bakery had no option but to consider relocating.

Breaking the news to her loyal customers, joint-owner and head chef, Magda wrote: “This is one of the hardest posts we’ve ever had to write.

“After 17 months in Abertillery — 17 months of mixing dough in the quiet hours of nights and early mornings, shaping loaves by hand, folding pastries, proving trays of focaccia, glazing warm pastries, dusting flour off our aprons, and ending each day exhausted but grateful — my partner and I have made the emotional decision to relocate and rename our bakery in the New Year.

“This town was our first home – the place where our dream became real.

“Where strangers became regulars, and regulars became our friends.

“But as much as we’ve loved every moment here, we simply haven’t had the level of demand we needed to keep the bakery going. Admitting that has been heartbreaking. We’ve talked, reflected, and wrestled with this decision for a long time… and we know now that moving is the step we need to take.

“So with heavy hearts but hopeful spirits, we will be saying goodbye to Abertillery.

“Thank you for every loaf you took home.

“Thank you for every focaccia, every pastry, every slice of cake, every cheesecake, every little treat you chose to share with someone you love.

“Thank you for every kind word, every smile, every moment you made us feel supported.

“You helped build this dream with us.

“You made this bakery more than a shop — you made it a little piece of our heart.

“As we begin a new chapter in Crickhowell, we carry every memory, every conversation, and every act of support with us. We truly hope you’ll follow our journey, and maybe even visit us in our new home.
Christmas Eve will be our final trading day.

“From our hearts to yours: thank you for everything.”

Support

In an outpouring of support from their regular supporters, many were quick to wish them success, but shared their sorrow at the loss for Abertillery.

Caffi Tyleri wrote: “Magda, you are absolutely amazing at what you do and we’ll be so sorry to see you go!

“We wish you all the best of luck in your new home and we will be sure to pop in to see you when we’re over that way.

“Thank you for all the wonderful creations you’ve brought to our town.”

Sian Hughes added: “So sorry to see this. For me personally, I thought parking was a big factor for me popping in. I tend to spend more time wandering the streets in Crickhowell. Wishing you lots of luck.”

In an emotional response to their loyal customers in Abertillery, following the initial post, they wrote: “Thank You From the Bottom of Our Hearts.

“We just wanted to take a moment to say the biggest, most sincere thank you for all the kind messages, comments, and words of support we’ve received. We’ve been reading every single one, and they’ve meant more to us than we can put into words.

“This decision has been incredibly emotional but feeling the love from this community has reminded us why we started this journey in the first place.

“Thank you for standing with us, and for making these last 17 months so special. We are so grateful.”

And with the new move came the new name, The Crickhowell Bakery.

Sharing the news to a popular Crickhowell Facebook group before Christmas, the duo wrote: “Exciting News, Crickhowell!

“Hi everyone — it’s Magda & Jon from the Saturday Market!

“We are absolutely delighted to share some wonderful news with you all:

“We will be opening The Crickhowell Bakery — by Magda & Jon in January, right here in the Crickhowell Corn Exchange.

“Over this past year, many of you have supported us every Saturday with such warmth and enthusiasm. Your kind words, your loyalty, and your encouragement have meant the world to us. We’ve genuinely fallen in love with this community, and it’s because of you that this next step has become possible.

“With Crickhowell currently without a permanent bakery, we’ve been humbled to serve you from our market stall — and now we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to make Crickhowell our full, long-term home.

“We want to give a heartfelt thank you to:
The Crickhowell community, for welcoming us so openly,
The Corn Exchange Crickhowell Ltd, for approving the let and helping make this dream a reality,
And all of you who have supported us loaf by loaf every Saturday.

“As we make this move, we’ll also be changing our social media branding from Little Italia Bakery to The Crickhowell Bakery to reflect our new home and identity.

“We hope all our wonderful existing followers will continue to follow and support us as we take this exciting step forward together.

“From January, we’ll be baking fresh on site and offering the breads, focaccias, pastries, cakes, sausage rolls, wraps, and other delights many of you already know us for — along with a few new additions and community initiatives we can’t wait to share.

“We’re truly excited to become part of the daily life of this town and look forward to serving you from our new home in the Corn Exchange. ❤️

“Thank you for believing in us — we can’t wait to open our doors. Love, Magda & Jon.”

In their latest update from 8 January, the bakery shared: “We finally completed the move from Abertillery to Crickhowell yesterday— a huge milestone for us and something we’re very excited about.

“Now our full focus is on fitting out and decorating the shop, getting everything ready for opening. We’re hoping it won’t be too long, but for now we don’t want to commit to an exact date — we want to make sure it’s just right.

“In the meantime, we’re currently on our way back from Edinburgh, where we popped up for the day to celebrate Magda’s birthday and, of course, to get some inspiration from Lannan Bakery — highly recommended if you’re ever in Edinburgh!

“Tomorrow, it’s straight back to work as preparations continue. A huge thank you to everyone who’s already stopped by with kind words and well wishes while Jon has been busy painting — it really means a lot.”

Follow The Crickhowell Bakery on Facebook, and visit in Crickhowell soon – a very special town has become even more special overnight.