Brooklyn Bagel Production Facility Suffers Near-Collapse in Historic Filipinotown

Big trouble in Historic Filipinotown, as Brooklyn Bagel Bakery's production and retail facility almost crumbled to the ground. The longtime bagel makers have been working out of the Beverly Boulevard facility since 1965, but over the long weekend ownership received a frantic phone call that part of an exterior wall had collapsed entirely, making the building extremely unsafe for workers and customers alike.

As the Eastsider shows, the wall is currently being framed up by lots of wooden reinforcements, but pedestrians are still warned to keep 25 feet away in case of a sudden collapse.

That’s bad news for the beloved bagel brand, which acts as the house account for many of the city’s most popular Jewish delis, including Langer’s nearby. Owner Vanik Elchibegian, who purchased the company from longtime Friedman family owners only back in January, tells the LA Times that Brooklyn Bagel has been able to secure baking space elsewhere, but much of the equipment they need is still locked in the teetering building. Thus, they’ve had to short most of their customers for the time being, and are already purchasing new replacement equipment in order to get back up and running as soon as possible.

No one’s quite sure of what to make of the dramatics just yet — should they tear down the building? rehab the longstanding structure? — but until the details are ironed out, there will be no retail bagel sales for the company. And the next time you drop into Nate ’n Al’s for some bagels and lox, don’t be surprised if they’re out.