03/23/2024
How it all started!! A tribute to my father!!
The year was 1995. My father decided to move our family from Long Island to NC and start a bagel and deli shop with my uncle(his brother).
Bagel Bin & Deli was established in Huntersville, NC in November of 1995. My father would pick me up early from school to go to work. I started off sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes. Yes! Actually hand washing dishes. The older I got the more responsibilities I took on. Such as, working up front taking and making orders during high school to eventually going in at 4am to open and run the shop during and after college. I was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. However, I saw that owning your own business had a uniqueness to it. You owned it. Not only that, but you get to create your own brand. You get to meet people in and outside your community. You meet moms, dads, families, and often times customers who became family. You saw who and what really makes communities prosper and to be a part of it, is special. You see kids from elementary school grow up and go on to graduate high school and even college. You get to see neighborhoods grow and develop. Again, being part of that is an awesome feeling.
A couple years after graduating college, Bagel Bin & Deli II opened in Charlotte(Ballantyne) November 2008. I made it through the economic and housing market disaster. After that, I lost my father due to injuries sustained from a hit and run car accident(2014) 6 yrs after I opened my shop. In 2017, I finally was able to start seeing the hard work and pain pay off. Then covid 19 hit a couple years later. As a small time entrepreneur, the pandemic was devastating and it’s still impacting people like me to this day.
With tears falling and a heavy heart, I have to make the difficult decision to close my doors on Sunday, March 31st.
I’d like to say thank you to everyone that has supported Bagel Bin over the past 15+ years. As well as, all the people I had the pleasure of helping. Whether it was donating bagels to battered woman and the veterans/homeless shelters, kids homes or to the PTA moms, all the different local foundations and organizations along with their volunteers that are part of a great community.
While my store is closing. The Bagel Bin & Deli brand will live on. Stay tuned
