Peter writes in to say: "The much-loved Chelsea Deli and Bakery on the southeast corner of 23rd and 8th has just closed for good. It had been there since at least 1999, when it was called Breadstix."
google streetview
And before Breadstix, it was known as S.G.S. Donuts -- I still have a dim memory of that great old sign.
Photo from Peter
It was a friendly and affordable spot. Unpretentious and easy. Exactly the sort of place that doesn't last anymore.
The reason for the closure? Peter says, "Mandy, behind the counter, told us there weren't enough customers lately to pay the rent."
Yesterday was their last day.
Photo from Peter
I think they closed because they didn't keep up with the times. Still mostly selling soda and artificial-looking cookies, and food sitting out all day instead of made fresh. Other places in the neighborhood, including the deli one block south, have better snacks and drinks.
ReplyDeleteIn the 70s, 80s, 90s it was a place with a sign "Donuts Sandwiches". It had rock bottom prices and it was open 24 hours. It was a small diner with a grill and a curving counter in the shape of two horseshoes you could sit and eat at. In her book, Just Friends, Patti Smith says she and Robert Mapplethorp referred to it as "The Bad Donut Shop" when they lived at the Chelsea Hotel and had very little money to eat elsewhere. Here is a link to a photo of it. https://www.flickr.com/photos/streetpho/2565762239/in/album-72157629974655881/ Just copy and paste in your browser.
ReplyDeleteThat is the only place in the area where I'd stop in after a walk or an appointment in the neighborhood. Simply go around the corner and look in the window of the Juice Health Bar that serves bird seed and organic water (think that's Hudson Street) and you will see the reason why the owners didn't have enough customers. I feel comfortable in a place like Chelsea Deli, while most of the folks living in the area and visiting the High Line feel comfortable in the Sterile Juice bar just the way it is, a tale of two cities and two cultural and economic points of view.
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