All great empires end eventually. A month ago, it seemed as though time was up for Brick Lane’s iconic yellow bagel shop, as locals and bagel enthusiasts alike were devastated to find the shop boarded up with an eviction notice pasted on the door.
After more than a century of serving bagels to the good people of east London, it appeared as though its reign had come to an abrupt, unceremonious end. The Ozymandias of Brick Lane sat, shuttered up and alone with seemingly no hope of return - until now.
The Mail Online broke the news on March 8 that plans were being drawn up to reopen the store under new management this Spring. Although no one seems to be entirely sure what closed the store, some speculate that it was a mix of family drama and a dispute with the landlord over rent. Ah, London landlords. What will you take from us next?
A source close to the family who own the Beigel Shop told the Mail Online that they’re currently working through ‘a falling out,’ and that there may be a change of management within the family. Details are yet to be uncovered, and even the nearby businesses admit they have absolutely no idea what's going on.
It's all very hush-hush, but regardless of whatever ‘Succession’-esque business is going on behind the scenes, there’s hopes that the shop will be back up and running in the not too distant future. Maybe one day they'll make a film about it all. Until then, there’s still the ‘white one’ a few doors down.
Brush up on the dramatic history of Brick Lane’s bagel joints while you wait for the yellow one to reopen with our oral history, which tells how London’s favourite bagel stops came to be, in the words of the dough masterminds who brought them to us.
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