Fans of a longtime popular Dearborn bakery are in mourning.
Capri Italian Bakery, a Dearborn bakery known as a go-to place for pepperoni rolls, pizza, meatball subs and a host of other specialties, will shutter at the end of the month.
After more than 50 years in Dearborn, Capri Italian Bakery announced its closing in a Facebook post on Friday, Oct. 2.
“Time for us to retire, move on and enjoy our family,” the post reads.
The owners of Capri are marking 1 p.m. on Halloween, Oct. 31, a Saturday, as their final day to be open.
“It is with sadness and gladness that we have come to the end of an era,” the owners wrote. “The love and thankfulness we have for our customers and our employees is indescribable.”
The owners, John and Ronda Errigo, thanked their
parents for starting the business, as well as all their employees, families and, most of all, their customers.
Founded by the late Virginia and John Errigo, Capri Italian Bakery has been a fixture in Dearborn at 4832 Greenfield for decades, getting its start in 1973. It was Virginia Errigowho developed a passion for the bakery business while working at Detroit’s Roma Bakery, founded by her father, Hugo Imperi.
More than 125 comments followed since it was posted around 11:15 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. Commenters called Capri’s closing sad and the end of an era. Others spoke of memories of going to the bakery as a kid or having their parents take them there, and, of course, the pepperoni rolls and the bakery's unbaked pizzas. Other comments came from Ford Motor Co. workers and nearby students who went to the bakery for lunch. Comments also wished the owners well and all the best in retiring.
Reached by phone Friday afternoon, Ronda Errigo told the Free Press the closing is “bittersweet.”
“It’s very hard to walk away,” she said. “We know our food has been part of people’s families.”
But, she said, they have to move on.
Errigo said this morning, after hearing about the closing, that a customer came in and stated that five generations of their family had been coming to the bakery.
While they do not own the building, Errigo said the business is for sale and listed through Sunbelt Business Brokers.
A final note on the post asks customers to check social media for updates and stop in before the bakery closes.
"Please come in for one last bite and share your story with us. We'd Love to hear about your experiences and memories of the bakery," the owners wrote.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn's Capri Italian Bakery, known for pepperoni rolls, is closing
