tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post6175782021535651024..comments2024-03-18T19:27:54.524-04:00Comments on EV Grieve: Reader report: 9th St. Bakery is closing after 87 yearsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-68883254244725888722017-07-24T16:17:48.011-04:002017-07-24T16:17:48.011-04:00Growing up during the Cold War, I never understood...Growing up during the Cold War, I never understood why people in the Soviet Union waited hours to buy bread. Then I moved to the Lower East Side in 1978 and discovered the 9th Street Bakery. I learned what real bread tasted like. Suddenly, I understood the long lines in Moscow.<br /><br />As a graduate student at the New School for Social Research, I had no money. My first part-time job in New York paid $50 a week and my share of the rent was $60 a month. On Saturdays, I would make my rounds to the green grocer, the butcher and the 9th Street Bakery. I would buy a loaf of Russian black bread and one pound of corn rye bread. If I had money left over, I would get some poppy seed strudel. The corn rye loafs were 3 pounds or so. So, the proprietor would place the loaf on the plain wood counter, slice a portion of the loaf, put it on the scale and it was always 1 pound exactly, whether he cut from the smaller end or the humped middle of the loaf.<br /><br />Two slices of bread with a smear of butter or a dab of honey and I had a meal that satisfied me until dinner time. In the 30 years since I left New York, I never found bread this good at any price.<br /><br />Today in corporate America, we can find an entire aisle of squishy bread at the supermarket. My mother called Wonder bread "glue." Or we can go to a fancy bakery for "Signature Gourmet Bread" at a premium price that isn't as good as "bread" from the 9th Street Bakery.<br /><br />Only the most hardened ideologue would defend the Soviet communist economy, but at least there you could buy good bread, even if you had to wait on a long line!Joe Kirchnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-26954309977462933102015-06-16T22:41:31.769-04:002015-06-16T22:41:31.769-04:00What happened to Oleg promising us we could order ...What happened to Oleg promising us we could order online and he would deliver to the house? Minimum of $7.50 or $10, he said. Can't find anything online.HippieChicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-67779347351965718832013-01-23T11:12:47.109-05:002013-01-23T11:12:47.109-05:001. Absolutely awful news.
2. WHO IS THE LANDLORD.
...1. Absolutely awful news.<br />2. WHO IS THE LANDLORD.<br />3. Do the 11th st people have a FB or email group??? We all need to join it.<br />Now.<br />4. Someone should at least print out all these comments and give them to the nice people at the bakery!glammanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-15753115089158267812013-01-21T19:42:22.266-05:002013-01-21T19:42:22.266-05:00Oh man. This is terrible news. Love that place.Oh man. This is terrible news. Love that place.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12223802470266221516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-46047777946628217382013-01-21T19:10:25.690-05:002013-01-21T19:10:25.690-05:00i bought bread and babka and bialys at the bakery ...i bought bread and babka and bialys at the bakery back when the two gentlemen ran it. yeah, everyone knew it was day old bread, but so what? they had great prices. and, if you buy fresh bread today, and take it home, what is it tomorrow? i loved buying a loaf just so they could slice it for me. that machine and the sound - mmm!!! the boxes all around, the two guys in their rag-a-tag sweaters, the look and feel of worn out, of a place that was from another time - you could feel it. if you just looked in as you passed by, it was unwelcoming. but once you went in, you were hooked!<br /><br />once the place was renovated, it lost that charm, for me...<br /><br />I-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-33141042326965736062013-01-20T14:45:25.905-05:002013-01-20T14:45:25.905-05:00That's sad. Would always get bread here, &...That's sad. Would always get bread here, & eggs at the store on Seventh. I'm always happy (& a bit amazed) that the GI deli is still around, given all the other changes. onemorefoldedsunsethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05995652957356064546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-49189340767515344102013-01-20T13:03:43.946-05:002013-01-20T13:03:43.946-05:00Ah, shit. There go my cinnamon rolls.Ah, shit. There go my cinnamon rolls.JMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09876016557456927299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-76883724261288612842013-01-20T10:59:47.841-05:002013-01-20T10:59:47.841-05:00Jill, Sunrise may be great but it's even more ...Jill, Sunrise may be great but it's even more out of my way. My point was that the neighborhood has changed so much, what I used to be able to buy almost entirely on 14th I now have to go all over the place for. <br /><br />Thanks, Gojira!LvVnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-70924514434621510842013-01-20T09:03:33.795-05:002013-01-20T09:03:33.795-05:00@LvV, yum, sounds superb. It won't be the same...@LvV, yum, sounds superb. It won't be the same, but here's a link to a number of fried tofu in orange sauce recipes. I plan to try some!<br /><br />https://www.google.com/search?q=fried+tofu+in+orange+sauce&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-aGojiranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-12721783942810407792013-01-20T03:37:31.828-05:002013-01-20T03:37:31.828-05:00@Gojira, it was like crispy, airy, chewy blocks of...@Gojira, it was like crispy, airy, chewy blocks of tofu, covered in this spicy-sweet orange sauce ... (<i>food reverie</i>)<br /><br />I mean, I am a tofu nut and I have never found anything as good* as what Home's did with the stuff. And their lunch specials were like 5 bucks, and they were so, so nice.<br /><br />Matthew w/ 2 Ts, "all you morons" -- I know you're not new here so you know that most of us are not exactly TJ zombies, right? <br /><br />* exception: crack-addictive deep-fried taro root/tofu at Thai Angel on Grand, but that's a bit out of my wayLVVnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-15105285223895958612013-01-20T01:21:32.749-05:002013-01-20T01:21:32.749-05:00Lvv--better place for all things Asian than M&...Lvv--better place for all things Asian than M&M is Sunrise Mart 2nd floor on 9th & 3rd by st marks bookstore.Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04362859175287085919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-85894199836090252702013-01-19T23:55:34.826-05:002013-01-19T23:55:34.826-05:00pete's spice sold their store to folks that we...pete's spice sold their store to folks that were put out of business by commodities who had pretty low prices when they opened - until pete's closed.<br /><br />it is not always the outrageous rents that force businesses to close (although this is the major cause these days) - running a small business takes an extraordinary amount of work and as the owners age there are not always family members that want to take over.<br />blue glassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-61119326697758999802013-01-19T23:22:51.613-05:002013-01-19T23:22:51.613-05:00@LvV- I do remember Home's Kitchen, ate there ...@LvV- I do remember Home's Kitchen, ate there regularly, but never had the tofu in orange sauce, don't think I was clued in to tofu at that point. Sounds damn delicious now, wish I had the chance to try it. Sigh.Gojiranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-64959208963586096072013-01-19T22:17:46.866-05:002013-01-19T22:17:46.866-05:00if all you morons would stop shopping at Trader Jo...if all you morons would stop shopping at Trader Joes places like this would stay open so put your money where your mouth isMatthew has 2 T's, dumbasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02538839847504077505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-71825410194727843142013-01-19T18:20:54.138-05:002013-01-19T18:20:54.138-05:00Another nail in the coffin of Manhattan's near...Another nail in the coffin of Manhattan's nearly-gone cultural relevance. Screw it - leave it to the vapid corporate douches and go discover the amazing outer boroughs!Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-33639375827474750232013-01-19T18:16:47.539-05:002013-01-19T18:16:47.539-05:00Gojira, I loved that place. When I first moved her...Gojira, I loved that place. When I first moved here, I would stop there almost every night. Do you remember Home's Kitchen? It was somewhere along the Blarney Stone/Rainbow/Bargain Bazaar way on 14th ... they had cheap but amazing Chinese takeout, and would do every single dish on the menu traditional, or with tofu/soy meat. I still dream of their deep-fried tofu in orange sauce ...<br /><br />Anon 5:13, Commodities is just OK. I find some of their staff a little unfriendly and can get good produce elsewhere. I prefer the wonderful Natural Green Market on 3rd/16th, going there for 13 years now. 18th/1st deli has beautiful flowers, I'm all good there even if it's a few blocks. And I don't drink, but I hope others take your recommendation.LvVnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-91719569667040237292013-01-19T17:13:11.758-05:002013-01-19T17:13:11.758-05:00@LvV - For fruits and vegetables it's the farm...@LvV - For fruits and vegetables it's the farmers market and Commodities. I now sometimes Commodities can be a little expensive or erratic, but they are pretty much all we have for organic, quality vegetables. And of course I want them to stay open. For flowers the best is Sunny on 2nd and 6th street, maybe I shouldn't say that as she will now be flooded, but she is the best. For Italian specialty there is of course Russo's and for sweets DiRoberta's or Black Hound. For booze the best is East Village Liquor on 1st Ave and 9th or so. Please buy your booze and wine there as the owner used to work at the place and then took it over and is the nicest guy in the hood. He says he is not seeing as much business as he was before Sandy, so . . .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-83838918584519823592013-01-19T16:54:36.093-05:002013-01-19T16:54:36.093-05:00@LvV -I thought I was the only one who missed the ...@LvV -I thought I was the only one who missed the grocers that used to be where the A Building is. Glad to know I am not. Anyone remember Pete's Spice, where a revolving series of tapas joints lives now, on First Ave. between 10th and 11th? Lost to rent increases long ago, but still a fond memory for me.Gojiranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-11347181587518193212013-01-19T16:00:04.398-05:002013-01-19T16:00:04.398-05:00So sad, I've been going there once a week for ...So sad, I've been going there once a week for twenty years. My kids were raised on their bagels and cheesecake. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-60735074747866031632013-01-19T15:13:59.320-05:002013-01-19T15:13:59.320-05:00I have to agree with Ken and his assumably well-us...I have to agree with Ken and his assumably well-used Kitchen. Most people just do not cook much any more. When I first moved into the neighborhood, I was able to get fresh produce, fresh tofu, flowers, nuts, seeds, miso paste, everything within a 2-block radius. These days I have to go to a traditional grocery store for half the things I need (I don't complain about Associated but there's a lot they don't carry), fruit carts for the rest (thank god for fruit carts), 18th St. for flowers, and M2M for miso and stuff -- I'm not complaining, really, I like all these places, but it takes effort. Because the small Asian grocery on 14th that had EVERYTHING is long gone (now it's that stupid A Building, although I may be misremembering the exact spot), and Stuyvesant Grocery is gone (I know they're back, but in much, much smaller form), yet we have eight million $1 pizza places, effing burger joints, alcoholic baked goods, and now sellers of plastic nonfood like 7-Eleven. As someone who still cooks/prepares almost all of my food, I definitely feel outnumbered.<br /><br />Also always nice to see Patricia Kennealy Morrison commenting, I sometimes see you in the neighborhood and want to say hi, but you don't know me, ha ha!<br /><br />LvVnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-70367657912020340722013-01-19T15:11:23.806-05:002013-01-19T15:11:23.806-05:00BTW, the "new" Italian bakery on 5th Str...BTW, the "new" Italian bakery on 5th Street is going out of business on the 21st of this month... just passed by there this afternoon.<br /><br />Nice little place, seems a shame.<br /><br />Can't imagine what happened -- how long have they been open?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-50315881951790995312013-01-19T14:18:45.555-05:002013-01-19T14:18:45.555-05:00Some commenters are missing the boat.
It's n...Some commenters are missing the boat. <br /><br />It's not just high rents that are driving out small business. It is also lack of demand. Even at the old rent, 9th Street Bakery only had a break-even summer. The guy who owned Kurowycky's <i>owns the building</i> and <i>he</i> couldn't make a go of it, except around the holidays. <br /><br />Yes, it is a good (absolutely essential IMO) idea to institute changes like San Fransisco has to regulate chain stores. One hopeful side-effect could be lower rents but that's not necessarily a given. Restoring home rule to NYC would also probably help. But the sad fact is that changing lifestyles mean that even then the EV would likely have a tough time supporting fruit stands, butchers, and bakers. Hey, if I were a shoe repair guy, I wouldn't consider opening a place in the EV either, even with a low rent. But the 9th St boutique model would probably flourish, like it used to and like the small clothing and jewelry stores on Elizabeth St did when rents were somewhat cheaper in the 1980s and 90s. <br /><br />This is all part of a trend that probably began around 30 years ago and seems to be accelerating. Don't know how to reverse it unless there's some kind of dramatic reversal of the American lifestyle. Ken from Ken's Kitchennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-41643631528685296812013-01-19T12:57:05.827-05:002013-01-19T12:57:05.827-05:00blue grass--
You are so right! Where is everybody?...blue grass--<br />You are so right! Where is everybody? Fortunately--there are groups who have been fighting Bloomer for years. But they need more of us. Please look up the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP.org) and find your niche.<br /> <br />Time to come out of numbness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-54435125943888570132013-01-19T11:30:15.734-05:002013-01-19T11:30:15.734-05:00It's not just 9th St. Bakery that the y.b.'...It's not just 9th St. Bakery that the y.b.'s of YELP are destroying. Their narci-rants are taking down everything that ever was in favor of these ultra precious nonsense joints. But wait: the yo-fro that took over the shoe repair across from St. Mark's Church has left already. Perhaps there are enough of "us" who cook at home, don't have unlimited $ to spend, and actually like having a personal relationship with those businesses we visit still have some influence...nah.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-45108390966748940972013-01-19T11:28:46.230-05:002013-01-19T11:28:46.230-05:00it might be too late to do anything to save the 9t...it might be too late to do anything to save the 9th street bakery - but if nothing is done to organize the neighborhood then it is too late for all of us.<br />if everyone that speaks out about the loss of a small business got together NOW it would be a great start at saving what's left.<br />if not it will really be too late.<br />i think joining with the folks on 11th street protesting the 7-11 is a good place to start.blue glassnoreply@blogger.com