Little Barb's Bakery is packing up its mixer and leaving Durham Food Hall on Sunday, May 31, owner Barbara Nigro announced. The downtown stall has become a neighborhood go-to for cakes, pop tarts and the cookie-cake protest that drew attention late last year, and Nigro said she is close to signing a lease for a standalone shop, with hopes of reopening in a brick-and-mortar location by September.
As reported by The News & Observer, Little Barb’s has reached the end of its three-year lease at the food hall, and striking out on its own was always part of the plan. "My main goal was to be there for three years and then see if Little Barb’s had established itself and could fly out on its own," Nigro told the paper. She added that the bakery is "close to inking a new brick-and-mortar deal," while declining to share the future address just yet.
For now, Little Barb’s operates from a stall inside Durham Food Hall, and the bakery's website lists pickup and custom-order options for customers tied to the hall's address. The shop's online ordering page and posted hours remain the most reliable ways to check on preorders and cake deadlines as the closing date approaches. Little Barb’s website includes the stall address and ordering links.
Why She's Moving
Nigro said the move is partly strategic; she wanted to see whether Little Barb’s could "fly out on its own" after the initial lease. She also pointed to tensions at the food hall after an October incident, when an ICE recruitment ad ran on screens and several vendors temporarily closed in protest. That controversy, which led to vendor walkouts and public pushback, is among the reasons Nigro cited for seeking a standalone storefront. The News & Observer previously reported on the episode and the food hall's response.
From Stall To Storefront
Little Barb’s is following a familiar script in Durham’s food scene, where shared spaces often serve as launch pads for businesses that later move into their own brick-and-mortar homes. Afters Dessert Bar, for example, started inside Durham Food Hall before opening a Brightleaf Square shop at 905 W. Main St. Brightleaf Square's listing shows Afters at the new address.
Nigro closed by thanking customers for three years of support and asking people to keep an eye on the bakery’s ordering channels for updates ahead of the May 31 closing. The Durham Food Hall stall will stay open through the end of the month for walk-up orders and preordered pick-ups. For hours, orders and custom-cake requests, see the bakery's online ordering page. Little Barb’s website has links to place orders and sign up for updates.
