Leonard St. Bakery
Est. 2017
Our Story
In 2017, two NYC dads, Nick Heavican and Nick Brophy, set out on a grand adventure to do something meaningful.
THE INGREDIENTS OF OUR ORIGIN STORY
1 Part:
Inspiration
Iceland
1 of 4
Nick Heavican
The Nick + Sons story begins in Iceland, when photographer Nick Heavican found himself awestruck by a piece of sourdough bread at Braud & Co. With zero baking experience, Nick was inspired to learn the secrets of the loaf + landed an apprenticeship that would change his life forever.
He learned not only how to bake bread, but also how the bakery culture had a profound way of bringing the community together. Back home in Brooklyn, Nick got creative—working by day + renting pizza kitchens by night to start baking bread for shops in the neighborhood.
Braud & Co Bakery
Reykjavík, Iceland
1 Part:
Meaning
Wall Street
2 of 4
Nick Brophy
Meanwhile, Nick Brophy, a Wall Street veteran + father of five, had worked his way up through Merrill Lynch, Citi Bank, and the frenzied world of derivatives trading. While he loved the collaborative team dynamic of the finance game, Nick knew it wasn’t his path forever.
Working right across from the World Trade Center, the impacts of 9/11 accelerated a new trajectory for him to discover “what more there is” in life + the world. At 40, Nick retired from Wall Street + entered a whole new universe of being a stay-at-home parent.
Charging Bull
Manhattan, New York
2 Parts:
Partnership
Manhattan
3 of 4
The sons of nick + sons
Nick Brophy + Nick Heavican met because their sons were in the same first-grade class, + discovered a fortuitous connection—both boys were adopted from Ethiopia.
During a playdate, Nick H. spoke about his adventures + challenges baking out of pizza kitchens at night + his dreams of starting a bakery. In the process of trying new things to answer his question about “the more” in life, Nick B. looked at Nick H. + said, “Let’s do it.”
The Sons
Springlake, New Jersey Bakery
3 Parts:
Community
NY + NJ
4 of 4
History in the baking
In 2017, we set up shop at 205 Leonard St. in East Williamsburg; a small window walk-up, open only on the weekends. With the overwhelming support from our community, we started to sell out of favorites by mid-morning.
In 2021, we brought a second outpost of the bakery to Nick B.’s neck of the woods on the Jersey Shore. With no advertising, just a sign in the window, the block was buzzing on opening day.
In 2024, after two years of searching for the right location, we moved our Brooklyn bakery from Leonard St. to Lormier St., right across from McCarren Park. Built with an open kitchen, the new Nick + Sons home is designed to connect our community with our bakers on one floor, paying homage to the magic of the bakery in Iceland where it all began.
When you get down to it, that’s the real secret of the loaf—connection + community. It makes the bread taste better.
Where we are today
Our New Home In Brooklyn