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Jun Sakiyama started working at Boko Bakery, his family’s long-standing business on Elgin Street, when he was 10 years old.

“I was probably cracking eggs and rolling out dough in the back. But nothing really intense and committed,” Sakiyama said.

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He is 36 now, the same age as the bakery, and in the last few years his workload has grown more intense, and even celebrated. Sakiyama has excelled at creating the wealth of decorated cookies that for many in downtown Ottawa are synonymous with the business.

But the bakery, which opened in 1982, is closing this weekend, to the disappointment of loyal customers hankering for breads, pastries, baked savoury items and, of course, cookies.

Sakiyama, his mother, brother and his wife are moving on. “Just time for ourselves is the main concern for the four of us,” he said. In particular, Sakiyama’s mother wants to spend more time with her ailing father in Okinawa, Japan, he adds.