Moishe's Kosher Bakery Closes After 40-Plus Years In East Village

EAST VILLAGE — After over four decades on Second Avenue, Moishe's Bake Shop closed on Tuesday for renovations.

The bakery at 115 Second Avenue on the corner of East Seventh St. has been a neighborhood staple for over 40 years.

The shop was known for its kosher treats, from shelves of challah and rye to cheese Danishes and strudels, the New York Times wrote in 2016. Bakery owner Moishe Perl's bread slicer, which was more than 80 years old, "rattles like a gas-powered lawn mower," the Times wrote at the time.

Its open date depends on the source with various reports showing different dates, EV Grieve noted.

But now, the owner is readying to retire when the time is right, he said. He wouldn't tell Patch his age, but said, "I feel like 21."

Perl is searching for new management to re-open the spot as a cafe and bakery as soon as the end of April after Passover or early May, depending how the renovations play out.

"We have a lot of options, and I'm here 49 years, you know what I mean?" Perl told Patch. "I wanna give over the management to somebody, and then I can see what kind of role I'm going to play in it."

James and Karla Murray, photographers who have documented historic New York City storefronts in several books, first noted the shop's closure on Tuesday in an Instagram post.

"We loved this kosher #bakery as everything was baked on premises fresh every day," the husband-and-wife duo wrote.

Perl said he is looking into four or five options for the future of the location.

After decades without any renovations, the shop will be getting a complete makeover, he said. He has yet to decide whether the shop's namesake, Moishe's, will remain.

"It's going to be a beautiful place," Perl said. "My mind is open for a lot of options. ... Business is very hard, but it's an amazing spot and it's a busy spot."

Speculation about the building's sale swirled on Wednesday after the photographers also wrote the owner said the entire building sold.

But to Patch, Perl said the building has not been sold nor does he plan to anytime soon. He did acknowledge he would sell it if someone offered enough money, "one day."

Late last year, investor Jay Schwimmer signed a 21-year lease for the entire building, The Real Deal reported last year. The lease, which began this month, included an option for him to buy the building, according the The Real Deal.

In January 2018, Perl also denied speculation his shop was closing. When Jeremiah Moss, blogger and author of Vanishing New York, asked Perl about a real estate listing, he laughed, saying, "People always put up these things."

On Wednesday, Moss tweeted, "And now Moishe's is gone. Enough."