Huge queues for The Sugar Man in beloved Adelaide pastry shop’s last day

Hundreds of fans of the popular CBD patisserie were willing to wait for one final taste of their signature pastry treats. See the video.

Lovers of pastries lined up around the block, some for more than an hour, to get a final taste of the sweet treats from The Sugar Man.

Owner Alex Crawford made the shock decision to stop selling his popular pastries and temporarily close his celebrated Hutt St shop following Sunday’s final day of trade.

Crawford said it was a difficult decision but one he needed to make.

Friends Mel Kaye and Mel Appelby lined up for half an hour on The Sugar Man’s last day open. Picture: Shashi Baltutis

People lined up for more than an hour on The Sugar Man’s last day open. Picture: Shashi Baltutis

Friends Mel Kaye and Mel Appelby were among the legion of fans who waited patiently outside the popular CBD patisserie.

Ms Kaye, 37, who had never eaten at The Sugar Man before, said she woke up this morning thinking “what if this is really good and we can never have it again?”.

“It’s like Alice in Wonderland meets Willy Wonka,” said the health coach from Semaphore of her experience.

Ms Kaye and Ms Appelby were given a free almond croissant after waiting in line for half an hour and then each ordered a vanilla slice.

Retail manager Ms Appelby, 27, said the experience was “amazing”.

Medical student Daniel Berry and his geologist friend Matt McIntyre waited in line more than an hour.

“I’ve eaten here a little bit and I like that they try new things,” said Mr Berry, 34, from Darlington.

“I wanted to buy something before they go away.

“It’s sad to see.”

Friends Matt McIntyre and Daniel Berry lined up for more than an hour on The Sugar Man’s last day open. Picture: Shashi Baltutis

Earlier this week, The Sugar Man owner Alex Crawford announced his patisserie would shut. Picture: Ben Clark

He ordered a pork pancetta sausage roll and a chocolate brownie cigar.

Mr McIntyre, 31, said the patisserie had recently “crept into my algorithm” on social media, which meant he had to try it.

“It would have been cool to see what else they would have come up with if they kept doing pastries,” said Mr McIntyre, from Highbury.

Earlier this week, Mr Crawford told The Advertiser he was “excited to work on something new” following the closure of The Sugar Man.

“The goal is to reinvigorate my passion and come back with a renewed sense of direction in my profession,” he said.

“The reason for taking this break is to have the time to go away, train, gain new skills, and explore new product lines.”

Mr Crawford said The Sugar Man’s new product line would remain a “surprise for now” but he vowed to stay true to his dessert roots.

Crawford said the store will receive a facelift and re-open in September.

Originally published as Huge queues for The Sugar Man in beloved Adelaide pastry shop’s last day