What A Shame: Nearly 100 Year Old Bakery Closes Its Doors Over High Rent And Crime

A Taste of Denmark opened its doors in Oakland in 1929 under its original name, Neldam’s. Since that time, the bakery has served many generations. In 2010, the bakery was renamed to its current name by former employees who took over the business and converted it into a co-op.

October 26, 2022

The business faced hard times when the bakery’s catering service declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Ramon Luna, a bakery co-owner, explained the pandemic’s effect to Fox 2 San Francisco. Luna said, “A big part of our business is the catering business.” “And so, when the pandemic happened, it took that whole catering business out of the equation and made it really hard for us to stay open.”

Luna also cited rising crime and exorbitant rent as issues the business encountered. Luna added, “The rent’s really high. And we get our windows broken every three weeks.”

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Over the weekend, loyal customers visited the neighborhood bakery for one last time. One of the customers, Larry Baack, said, “We’ve always had birthday cakes here and every other kind of goodie for all these generations.” “From my grandparents to my parents to me to my children and my grandchildren.”

Another customer, Alise Henderson, said, “I’ve been coming here since I was 8 years old, and I will be 58 on Sunday.” The bakery had a reputation for creating specialized Danish and French pastries and creative treats that remained a popular part of their sweet menu.

Customer Jan Novie summed up the vibe, menu, and atmosphere of the long-standing bakery when she said, “It’s the best, it really is.” “There’s nothing quite like it. It’s old-fashioned and delicious and reliable that way.”