OPENINGS & CLOSINGS: TWO NEW BAKERIES AND A NURSERY SCHOOL
Photo by Rebecca Frey.
A new bakery and a new nursery school and day care have signed leases for spaces on the Upper West Side.
Orwasher’s Bakery has signed a lease at 440 Amsterdam Avenue at the corner of 81st street, the former home of Pet Health Store, which moved to Amsterdam between 82nd and 83rd. Orwasher’s has operated an Upper East Side bakery since 1916 and calls itself “New York’s Artisan Bakery.” They’ve got a huge line of breads, from rye and ciabatta to Swiss Health bread and “ultimate” whole wheat. Keith Cohen, who bought the bakery in 2007, went to Paris to learn how to maker a baguette from the pros. Learn more about it here.
Another bakery called Boule & Cherie is opening on the ground floor of 170 Amsterdam Avenue, the building on Amsterdam and 69th street that some readers (affectionately?) call the X-box. According to my fourth grade French, it means “Round French Bread and Pretty Girl.” But I was terrible at French. Real French-speakers, please translate in the comments. Thanks to Lee and Melissa for the tips.
Also let us pause to say: Two bakeries (not banks) in prime real estate locations! YAY!
All My Children Day Care & Nursery School has leased a ground floor space at 101 West 85th street between Columbus and Amsterdam, according to brokers at Eastern Consolidated. The school calls itself an “eco-conscious” daycare and has 13 other locations in the city, mostly in Brooklyn and Queens. “Preschools and daycare centers are in high demand on the Upper West Side because of the density of families living in the neighborhood. As soon as an appropriate space becomes available in this area, these entities want to lease it,” said broker Ravi Idnani in a statement.
Speaking of nursery schools, sad to see the end of First Friends on W 74th. 20+ years of operation. Space is in the process of being converted into something else now.
I noticed this morning that World Coffee on Columbus has also closed up.
World Coffee has been closed for several months.
New bakeries! that is a definite win for the area! 🙂
Chérie means darling, honey, it’s a sweet word to call one’s girlfriend, and boule indeed is a round load of bread. The two words together are rarely said together in French as boule in everydays language can be associated to someone chubby…
I work near Orwashers on the East side & love it! It has that “old school” bakery feel… And their hamantaschen are the best ever! Can’t wait!
Orwashers nice!!!
Omg! Every other block has a daycare and nursery school/preschool. Especially in luxury buildings. Amazing! The UWS has become baby central! Our own little baby boom! Sometimes I like it other times I have a problem… not with the children but with the entitled parents!
As the parent of a 20-month old, I can assure you there aren’t very many day care centers on the UWS.
Yes, sad to see First Friends close on 74th! Space is already under renovation.
There are! You’re just not looking in the right places! That cost a fortune! Forget about college tuition. Plan for saving well in advance to having a child.
I think Boule & Cherie is a play on words. When pronounced in quick succession they sound like boulangerie, French for bakery.
Brilliant!!
Yeah, it’s a play on words between “bread and honey” and “boulangerie.”
I live near 81st and Amsterdam, and am SO happy that that spot is not going to be a chain or a bank. Also pretty happy that the rumor I’d heard about a fried chicken place turned out not to be true–I’d much rather wake up to the smell of fresh-baked bread!
i think a rotisserie chicken place is opening soon on that block though
Go for their Raisin bread…I think it might be Raisin challah….excellent.
And what’s great is Orwasher’s is one of the few bread places in the city that seem to give a lot of day old product to food pantries. When we lost the Fink bread factories about a decade ago, the pantries lost a lot of free bread.
BOULE & CHERIE MEANS:
THE FRENCH ROUND BREAD AND DARLING (OR DEAR)
Orwashers! They bake the bread in the store on the east side. This is so exciting. Thank goodness it is not another bank.
Better to name it Boule et Cherie rather than after the French story Boule de Suif.
I agree that Orwasher’s coming to the West Side is a great, great event. More than just better than a bank/drugstore, better than yet another ootsy-tootsie boutiquey bakery, this is a *real* bakery that will be a real addition to our neighborhood. I just hope I’ll be able to afford a rye bread now and then…
On another note, looks like Basics Plus, the (now expanded) hardware store on Broadway between 83 and 84, has reopened. Maybe there’s life in this old neighborhood yet….
This is awesome news! With these two new places opening- and Kayser (the best French bakery in NYC!!) that we have, the UWS rocks, as far as bakeries go (not to mention Grandaisy, too)!!! Also, a new bakery will open where Breadsoul Cafe was (thank God that’s gone!). Yes, Boule & Cherie is definitely a play on words, to sound like “boulangerie”. Love that!!
Oh, forgot to mention that we also have Mille-feuille!!
I am THRILLED about Orwashers! Best jelly donuts bar none!
As someone with a major weakness for donuts, that’s a really good/bad thing to know!
Absolute’s bagels and Orwasher’s bialys … Sundays are now complete
Maison Kayser, in my opinion, is far from “the best French bakery in NYC.” But you have to get out to Queens to find the best: Cannelle. [Feast on THEIR St. Honore if you want to sample the authentic delight ~ puts Maison K. to shame!] Much closer to home, here on the UWS, try Tiny Treats, an immaculate little patisserie shoehorned into a minuscule space on Amsterdam @ 92nd that offers superb French pastry.
At least banks don’t cause obesity, just saying….
Really? Wow.
Ha! It might make your wallet fat!… or wayyy too thin, depending!
No, stuffing one’s face with too much of anything causes obesity. Let’s hear it for personal accountability.
So joyful for bakeries to open NOT another bank