A beloved bakery that opened in the Bronx in the 1920s won't make it to 2016. Zaro's Bakery will be closing the doors to its Parkchester location, as NY1's Erin Clarke reports.
In Parckchester, it's the place to pick up a sweet treat
"Everyone knows Zaro's, I mean everyone," said one denizen of the neighborhood.
Zaro's Bakery has been on this corner for 55 years.
It's a place locals gather to share their views.
Some come every day without missing a beat.
It's no doubt the topic of discussion this week will be that this beloved bakery is closing its doors.
"I wish they didn't have to close. I'm gonna miss this place," said one regular.
"This is part of the community," said another. "It's been here for many years, since I was a child. Sad to see it go."
"We've been coming here I could say at least five times a month," a third said.
The owners of the fourth-generation bakery with deep Bronx roots say they were blindsided a month ago when their landlord didn't renew their lease.
"We get a letter from the landlord that says your last day is December 31," said owner, Stuart Zaro. "We've negotiated a lease with a large national food chain, so please vacate the premise."
In a statement provided to NY1, Olshan Properties says Zaro’s couldn't meet the terms of renewal for the space, but Stuart Zaro says his company wasn't given a chance to stay at its current location.
"Believe me, If we had an opportunity to be in competition with that store, I can guarantee you we would have won it," he said. "I would keep that store at almost any cost."
Parkchester residents say the closing of long-time businesses is something unfortunately they know all too well.
"We've lost our movie theaters," said one. "We lost Luciulle Roberts. So many things are closing. All up on Unionport they're closing stores."
In November, NY1 reported that Harmony Records was one of several Parkchester businesses closing because a developer plans to replace the stores with housing.
"We have nowhere to go. We're being pushed out every day into the street," said one business owner.
Unlike some of those businesses, Zaro's will continue to sweeten the city with several locations in Manhattan and one in New Jersey.
The owner is also looking for a new Bronx space too.
The Parkchester location will remain open until December 28.