A 200-year-old pastry shop in Istanbul has closed its doors – Balkani

A historic bakery in central Istanbul is closing its doors due to inaccessible rent, BTA reported, citing Turkish private broadcaster CNN-Turk.

The Lebon pastry shop, the first in the history of the Republic of Turkey, which has been operating for 212 years, was forced to close its doors after the owner of the premises on the iconic Istiklal Blvd raised the rent. The previous rent of 42,500 Turkish Lira (about $ 2,300) has been raised to $ 10,000 (185,000 Turkish Lira), said Abdurrahman Cengiz, one of the patisserie’s partners.

This pastry shop was the first in the country’s Ottoman and Republican history. I wanted the brand to continue to exist, but it didn’t work. Moving to another location takes 10 million Turkish lira, Cengiz said, adding that this too is impossible.

Record increase in rents in Istanbul

According to him, 10 million dollars have been invested in the pastry shop and, after its closure, the 12 employees will be left out of work.

The Lebon pastry shop was opened in 1810 by Edward Lebon in the Beyoglu district. Cengiz and his partner Shakir Ekinci bought the brand in 1985.