Greenpoint’s Oldest Polish Bakery Is Moving
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which parts of Greenpoint are still Polish. You’ll hear Polish being spoken here, pass by a Polish business there and many a Greenpointer has a Polish landlord. But at the same time, the neighborhood changing at light speed. Cute bars, cafés, restaurants, and the like are popping up everywhere in Greenpoint and many of them are replacing Polish businesses one-by-one.
But today, the neighborhood has taken a significantly big hit. Greenpoint’s oldest Polish bakery, the New Warsaw Bakery Co., is closing up shop at their current location and moving to greener cheaper pastures.
According to Voices of NY, the 24-year-old family bakery, which sits at 866 Lorimer Street between Nassau and Driggs Avenues, will be moving out within in the year. The good news is that New Warsaw isn’t going out of business. It’s simply moving and continuing production elsewhere. The bad news? The bakery might not be able to reopen in Greenpoint.
Sad news, we know. But before we let this become a total sob story, it should be noted that it’s one of the bakery founder’s sons, part-owner Roman Świdziński, who is selling the property along with his brothers and mother. And he’s sure to make a killing: 866 Lorimer Street happens to be right across the street from McCarren Park.
In that vein, potential buyers are already circling the property and rumors are abounding that the space could become an apartment building or something equally attractive to those eyeing and living in Greenpoint.
Meanwhile, Świdziński hopes that a new location and revenue from the sale will make it possible for the bakery to increase bread production and even experiment with new offerings.
All that’s in the somewhat distant future, though, and Polish (and non-Polish!) residents can still visit the bakery at its original location for the next few months.
Follow Nikita Richardson on Twitter @nikitarbk