Popular Downtown Restaurant Sets Closing Date

INDIANAPOLIS -- A popular downtown restaurant will close for good on Tuesday.

Crawford's Bakery and Deli, at 16th Street and Capitol Avenue, is shutting down after 21 years because its lease has expired.

To celebrate its long-time history, the bakery will give away tasty baked goods for free on closing day.

The Indianapolis Fire Department will take all of the leftover items to local hospitals, police stations, firefighters and medics, a tradition that began 20 years ago on Saturday evenings at closing.

Owners said they plan to continue a wholesale bakery production business on Indianapolis' northwest side that distributes items to 40 states.

Since August, Crawford's hosted a series of customer appreciation events.

A fixture of the Indianapolis community, the bakery churned out countless birthday and wedding cakes over the years.