Kossar’s Brings Bialys into the 21st Century
By Ariana Grispo and Yassie Liow
Kossar’s Bagels and Bialys has been around since 1936, making it the oldest Jewish bakery on New York’s Lower East Side. For decades, its rusty, steel-clad walls served Eastern European Jewish immigrants nostalgic for the round baked goods of the old country. But times have changed.
Like so many neighborhoods in New York City, the old population moved out and a new one took its place. What was once called New Bialystok has dissolved as Jewish shops closed due to increasingly pricier rent and diminishing clientele.
The new wave of hipsters and artists favored the bagel over the bialy, a similarly round bread but without the hole. Cut a bagel down the middle, and there will be an even top and bottom. A bialy, however, is too lumpy and soft to slice neatly.
However, Kossar’s has managed to stay afloat, one of the last originals standing, even as cute cafes serving croissants and gluten free muffins have popped up. Sharelle Robbins, 31, the district manager, has been working at Kossar’s for the past three years. “In the time that I’ve been here, we’ve lost Flowers which was an old place around the corner… that’s where I used to work.” said Ms. Robbins, pointing in its direction as a toaster beeped in the background. “I’ve seen an old Jewish pizza place close, and now we have a barbecue joint… an Organic Target, and a Trader Joe’s.”
But Kossar’s had a plan. After changing hands in 1998 and again in 2013, The shop set out to reach a broader clientele. Previously, Kossar’s closed for all major Jewish holidays, but its customer base is no longer predominantly Jewish. After a five-month renovation in 2015, Kossar’s returned with a revamped menu, including ten different types of bagels and three of bialys.
Customers could only pay with cash, and had to fetch butter and cream cheese themselves. Since then, Kossar’s has become more user friendly. They take cash and cards, and spread condiments for customers.“[After the renovation,] I started coming more because it was a little more accessible,” said Jacob Robbins, 39, a computer programmer who previously worked in the neighborhood.
The formula seems to click.
“They just weren’t quite set up before to have regular customers come in. They mostly did wholesale for others,” he added. According to Agorafy, a real estate listing database, a 300-square-foot retail space in the Lower East Side costs an average of $3,300 per month.
Dozens of fresh bagels and bialys line the store in full view from the outside window and behind the counter. A window at the back of the store allows customers to watch employees rush back and forth with trays of baked goods and see dough mixing. The windowed storefront opens onto the bright red chairs and immaculate white walls that have replaced the shabby rusted metal. The scent of garlic and caramelized onions that top the bialys wafts through the shop and out the door, reeling in passersby.
All of Kossar’s competing bialy businesses in the Lower East Side have closed, notably Noah’s Ark, which shut down in 2013. However, there are some bialy companies sprinkled across the United States. Bagels by Bell sells bialys in Brooklyn, and NY Hot Bagels and Bialys has Queens covered; Original Bagel and Bialy sells to the residents of Illinois.
On Zagat, the arbiter of food taste in NYC, some people expressed disappointment in food quality since the new management took over.
“The place completely changed. No more fresh bagels?” grumbled Chuck Lin in his two-star review.
“The bagels are now on par with a generic supermarket!” echoed Paul Hariu-Powell, awarding just a single star. Others complained of the overworked staff and long lines.
On the other hand, many new customers praised the quality of the products. “Great first bialy!” wrote Eitan Schapsis. Two customers, from Los Angeles and Houston respectively, both said that they enjoyed their bagels.
While Kossar’s former bialy competition is gone, it now faces new rivals, namely the Dunkin’ Doughnuts across the street. To confront this challenge, Kossar’s has adjusted to reach a wider audience. The bakery now offers a broader array of traditional foods like babka, and American dishes with an old-world twist such as avocado toast with Za’atar. This way, they can retain some of their old customer base while attracting the younger, hipper crowd flooding into the area. According to Ms. Robbins, roughly 30 to 40 percent of customers are longtime patrons, and 60 to 70 percent are new. Kossar’s also expanded geographically, and now ships across the United States.
So far it’s working. “I’ve had someone order bialys for a wedding in Hawaii,” said a slightly surprised Ms. Robbins.
