Korshak Bagels in South Philly Announces Sudden Closure
It's a sad week for South Philly. The best bagel shop in the area just announced that it will close (permanently) later this week.
As a South Philly resident (who happens to love carbs), I have to say I am super saddened by this news...
Korshak Bagels in South Philadelphia is Closing
We're talking about Korshak Bagels, which is located at the intersection of 10th and Morris in South Philadelphia.
And the news of the closure comes as a bit of a surprise. The shop had only been open for about 2 and a half years, but it's gotten national recognition from publications like The New York Times and Bon Appetit (sourced via the Philly Inquirer).
The shop's owner, Philip Korshak, shared the news of their closure in an Instagram video, highlighting a letter written to his customers.
Korshak cited the difficulty of making ends meet, work-life balance, and more as the reason behind the seemingly shocking decision.
"The shop simply can't function economically... and provide a living wage and work/life balance and reasonable prices." the message said in part.
It was always SO busy in the shop, so I didn't realize it wasn't financially viable until I read that....
Korshak Bagel Employees Had Recently Unionized
The staff at the bagel shop was apparently one of the first to unionize in the city, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
You can read more of Korshak's comments in The Inquirer.
He said it was difficult to make profits off of $3 bagels while paying his employees upwards of $16 an hour and offering benefits including paid time off.
Leaders from Local 80 spoke to The Inquirer as well, expressing their disappointment with the decision.
Korshak Bagels Owner Cites Work / Life Balance as Part of Ongoing Problem
Meanwhile, the shop's owner, Philip Korshak acknowledged the toll the business has taken on him in recent years.
In fact, he said he's only taken seven or eight days off of work since acquiring the retail space four years ago.
"I cannot continue in this way," he wrote. "I am genuinely sorry to say that I have failed in my vision," he wrote.
South Philadelphia's Korshak Bagels Will Close on September 24
Korshak Bagels will serve its final customers on Sunday, September 24, according to the memo. Employees, however, seem to have been told about the pending closure earlier, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The shop's employees (and the local union) were informed a month before the closure. The public was only informed a week before because Philip wanted to avoid the outpouring of love and sympathy.
"I didn’t want staff to have to deal with the thing that’s happening right now," he told The Inquirer on Monday.