A chain bakery known for one-of-a-kind cinnamon rolls is returning to the city where it all started.

In a rebirth of the vegan cinnamon bun brand that began across the street from UC Berkeley in 2010, a new Cinnaholic is set to open Friday at 2505 Hearst Ave., Suite D, in Berkeley. The company is known for its create-your-own cinnamon rolls that are made with a variety of toppings, from caramel sauce and apple bites to peanut butter cups and graham crackers. The new outpost will once again cater to college kids craving snackable sugar grenades to help them stay awake in class. The original location closed in 2023 amid an ongoing push to build new housing in Berkeley.

“When they announced that the whole block was shutting down, all of the stores and restaurants, it was a big conversation in Berkeley, especially with the vegan community, because it was our favorite place to go for our sweet tooth,” Shannon Slocum, the co-owner of the new Cinnaholic location and a vegan herself, told SFGATE in a phone interview. “But, you know, I saw it as an opportunity. I told [my brother], ‘This is our franchise opportunity.’”

Shannon and Kevin Slocum hail from the Bronx in New York City. They came to the Bay Area during the pandemic and eventually settled in Oakland. Shannon remembers her first time going to the original Cinnaholic in Berkeley.

“There was this huge line out the door, it seemed like people were excited about it. And, of course, on my first bite, I was like, ‘This is freaking amazing,’” she recounted.

Back in her home borough, many people see franchising as a way to own a piece of their community, Shannon said.

“It was something we aspired to as kids,” she said.

So, when the news broke that the Cinnaholic at 2132 Oxford St. was closing, Shannon and Kevin reached out to the corporate headquarters in Atlanta. When she did some research and found out that the original founder’s name was also Shannon (Radke), it felt like kismet.

“I was like, ‘OK, this is too much,’” Shannon said.

Cinnaholic has grown extensively since it was founded about 16 years ago. There are now 85 locations across the country. After four years of success in Berkeley, Radke went on the ABC television show “Shark Tank” and pitched the idea to a carousel of celebrity entrepreneurs, including Mark Cuban and Kevin O’Leary. On the show, Radke and her partner, Florian, accepted an offer to do business with Robert Herjavec; the agreement centered on shipping their product nationwide. However, not long after, the Radkes decided to begin franchising their company instead.

When the Slocums soft-launched their store last week, Shannon Radke showed up for the reopening in the place where the brand began.

Though Kevin Slocum doesn’t remember his first time enjoying Cinnaholic (it was “probably” in Texas, he said), he did promise his son he’d be on “Shark Tank” one day.

“When my kid was still in his mother’s belly, I would talk to him in there and tell him, ‘We’re gonna be on ‘Shark Tank’ in 10 years,’” Kevin recounted. “Well, my son turns 10 this year, and we didn’t make it to ‘Shark Tank’ — but we are the owners of a store that was on ‘Shark Tank.’”

From 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at Friday’s grand opening, all cinnamon rolls will be $2. The store will later close at its regular time, 9:30 p.m.