Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
A family-run bakery and café that's served its neighbors for the past 15 years is closing.
Rossy's Bakery & Café, 242 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C, will soon shut down after opening in June 2010.
Owner Roselia "Rossy" Caba confirmed the news, citing rising costs and the impending retirement of her mother, Norma Ortiz, who founded the business.
"After so many years, we decided to call it quits," said Caba, whose brother Gabriel Escalante is also part of the business. "With the way things are, it makes no sense for us to continue… We can't keep trying to be affordable to the community and still make money anymore. There is no profit. We just can't do it anymore."
Ortiz (below) began baking cakes for family and friends from her Second Street apartment. Demand quickly grew beyond her kitchen's capacity, and soon, the mother-daughter team opened their own storefront just a few blocks away.
Over the years, Rossy's became known for its hearty and affordable lunch plates — BBQ ribs, baked chicken, and rice-and-beans combos. Empanadas and smoothies were also popular picks for kids in the neighborhood.
But even with a loyal customer base, Caba says the numbers no longer add up.
"I haven’t made a profit in a while," she said. "Everything we use is quality here, and that screwed me over. There's no margin."
She's also taken on debt just to keep the business afloat.
The business — minus the name — is now for sale as a turnkey operation, including the lease, equipment and established location. Caba says there are a few years left on the current lease and that the landlord is open to an extension.
As for what she hopes comes next for the space? "Something for the community. A restaurant. Maybe Spanish food. Staying in the roots."
Caba plans to return to her previous work in nightclub accounting.
Ortiz, meanwhile, is officially retiring.
"She's not baking cakes anymore. So if you want one, you’d better get it in now," Caba added.
Rossy's will be missed — not just for its food, but for the sense of neighborhood it helped sustain. Who goes to Rossy's Bakery & Cafe? Neighbors, teachers, postal workers, construction and sanitation crews, police officers, firefighters, EMS, and other first responders. UPS and FedEx drivers. Kids after school. People craving home-style Dominican and Spanish food or a fresh-baked treat. The morning and midday crowd needing a Bustelo fix — coffee with frothy, sweetened milk. Regulars with a standing dinner plate order.
It was a place that served everyone and made everyone feel like a regular. Caba remembers your order — "She doesn't like pieces of fruit in her smoothie, so make it extra smooth," she reminds the staff. You may catch her out front in her fire-engine red muscle car, always quick with a joke and a smile.
A neighborhood needs places like Rossy's.
Previously on EV Grieve:
This really really sucks. Places like this are the definition of the small business dream. We used to have so many smaller spots like this and there are so few left. Close your eyes for a second and everything will either be a bank, a VC backed "bodega inc" spot, or an empty storefront.
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