Reston bakery Nordic-Knot places second in national small business contest

Nordic-Knot has won $40,000 in a national contest for small businesses.

The Reston-based bakery — which specializes in its twisted pretzels — placed second out of 10 finalists in the annual Small Business Big Wins contest, which is run by Barclays Bank.

Ashland Birth Center placed first in the nationwide contest, which recognizes businesses that were heavily impacted by the pandemic. The Wisconsin-based maternity health care center received a grand prize of $60,000.

More than 4,750 small businesses from across the country shared stories of how the pandemic impacted their daily operations. After the 10 finalists were selected, public voting determined the final winners.

Nordic-Knot co-owner Melissa Romano said they plan to use the funds to increase marketing, outreach and boost its production line to “better serve our community.” Results were announced yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon.

“We’ve grown this business very carefully and we were put through the runner during the pandemic,” Romano told FFXnow. She expects to announce some big, new clients in the coming weeks.

For Nordic-Knot, the pandemic meant a dramatic business shift came quickly into play. With many of its distributors closed during the peak of the pandemic, the business shifted to providing their products to customers directly.

Now, even as wholesale distribution picks up, the business plans to maintain direct services for consumers directly.

A vending cart that offers customer direct access to goodies will return to Lake Anne Plaza this summer.

Romano says they plan to continue big partnerships while providing direct access to their items.

“Lane Anne has and will always be our special place of business,” Romano said. “We are really excited for this opportunity for our business.”