An Iconic Cedar Rapids Bakery Has Closed for Good

It's the end of the road for a longtime Cedar Rapids bakery. A new article from CBS2 reports that Sykora Bakery in the Czech Village has been sold to new owners who have sold off all of the business' equipment.

According to the official website, the Sykora Bakery building at 73 16th Ave SW was built all the way back in 1900. It was initially a saloon called the Dew Drop Inn and had a barber shop running out of the basement. Then in 1903, Charles and Anna Kosek opened the first Bohemian bakery inside the building. A man named Joseph Sykora, who had worked for the Koseks, bought the building in 1927, and he and his wife Clara operated Sykora Bakery for almost forty years. Since then, the business has changed hands several times and gone through multiple renovations, including a major one after the Flood of 2008. The website reports that "332 volunteers from across the country contributed over 2,500 hours to restore the bakery after the disaster."

In the summer of 2023, Sykora Bakery was purchased by new owners. Unfortunately, they didn't last long. After reopening in September, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that the business has closed again sometime before December. Now the Gazette says that property has been purchased by KN Properties 3 LLC, which is owned by restauranteur Kory Nanke. All of the bakery's equipment was auctioned off earlier this month. The auction website wrote that "the closure of this beloved scratch bakery marks the end of an era."

There's no word yet on what will take over the historic Sykora Bakery Building, but we will be sure to keep you updated when more information becomes available.