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Bagel Crisis: H & H Bagels Closing TOMORROW
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jun 21, 2011
Modified Jun 21, 2011
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By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jun 21, 2011
Modified Jun 21, 2011
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Breaking bagel news! The Wall Street Journal is reporting that H & H Bagels, beloved Upper West Side carboloading institution, is closing—for good—tomorrow!
There's no explanation for the abrupt move, just a sign reading "Welcome to Visit Our Store at 639 West 46th Street,” the location of H & H's wholesale baking plant and storefront, which employees said would remain up and running. Another employee outside told the Journal that the closure was due to rent issues, but the store hasn't confirmed. Earlier this year, the store filed for bankruptcy, which came after owner Helmer Toro pleaded guilty to second degree grand larceny for pocketing $330,000 in payroll taxes.
Still, the sudden shutter comes as a shock, with even Sam Sifton tweeting about the "breaking carb news." The institution has been featured in Seinfeld, Entourage, and Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, among other places. Their Midtown plant produces about 80,000 bagels a day, which are shipped across the world.
A store manager we spoke to at grocer Citarella, which carries H & H bagels, didn't seem ruffled by the news, saying: "We're not too worried about it—it's a shame that that store has been there for so long, but we get our deliveries from Midtown, so I don't think one location closing is going to hurt us. They'll still be very popular with customers."
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bagels
closing
h & h
h & h bagels
helmer toro
rent
Upper West Side
Jamie Feldmar
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