After a lengthy commute on the R train me and my brother finally arrived in Bay Ridge, the last stop on the subway. It was 9:45  on a Saturday morning when we arrived to Bay-Ridge 3^rd Avenue for the third time. It was sunny day but fairly windy. Many families were out walking their dogs and grabbing breakfast with their children. A friendly family vibe was given off as we walked through the streets of Bay Ridge. Since most of the businesses opened at 10:00 am me and my brother strolled for about 20 minutes getting a feel for the neighbor. There was a vast number of different types of stores that spanned 3^rd Avenue. It ranged from Irish pubs, dog stores, antique store, Mediterranean food, and Polish delis. It was a very diverse neighbor something I did not expect. It was a quiet Saturday morning, not many cars were on the road. Workers were just strolling in to open their shops to begin setting up.  After the walk around the neighborhood it was then 10:20 am and majority of the stores were opened and just finished setting up. We walked a few more blocks and came across a bakery that represented my Egyptian culture. Surprised that a bakery like that would be in Bay Ridge, I had to walk in and see it.

I was shocked the minute I walked in. The store was packed, even though they opened 20 minutes prior to my entrance, with people buying so much food. The line was practically out the door. The store was filled with this amazing smell of freshly baked bread right out of the oven.  The bakery was fairly small but the kitchen was rather large. It was designed similarly to the store kitchens in Egypt. The kitchen had huge equipment made out of stainless steel. The walls were white and the all the furniture was made out of wood. It was very simplistic and not full of color but there was something about the interior design that made it feel “homey” and welcoming. The interior of the bakery truly made it feel like we were in Egypt; that we stepped out of Bay Ridge Brooklyn and entered into a whole new place. There were wooden crosses and religious pictures hung up throughout the whole store and various Egyptian and Lebanese groceries and baked goods on display. The owners chose to stay close to their Egyptian roots in everything, the store design, the food served, even to the name of the bakery.

The bakery, which has been open for over 20 years, is owned by a lovely Egyptian couple, who had immigrated from Egypt and currently live in Brooklyn. The owners were both born and raised in Egypt. They immigrated to America as a married couple seeking economic advancement. They settled into Brooklyn where they found a Coptic Orthodox Church near them which eased their transition slightly because they were surrounded by people who had the same religion and ethnicity as them. As most immigrants, settling down into an area that was filled with people with the same religion, values, and traditions as them is very common because it alleviates some of the stress of living in a completely different country with different customs. The transition process was definitely a little bit easier for them because they were surrounded by other Egyptian people and it helped them understand what was needed of them to open up their business.

As much as being surrounded by fellow Egyptians, the owners stilled faced many hardships when they moved to America and with opening the store. The process of opening up a business in Egypt is very different then opening one in America. This alarmed the owners. Egypt’s regulations about opening up a store is very relaxed unlike America. The rules and regulations they had to follow and keep up with through the years was something that stressed them out. Living in a new country and trying to understand and follow their regulations and laws for a food business is challenging.

“Rent is very high, and has been increasing every year since we opened this store”, said the owner’s husband, a co-owner. Between 1990 and 2012 the rent has increased dramatically. The owners mentioned how rent is something that they struggled with when they initially opened the business because they spent majority of their savings when they moved to America for a house, a car, etc. For a while rent was a major issue for them because the bakery was not yet a stable source of income and they had major expenses other than the bakery. Rent is common struggle most business owners experience, especially those who immigrated from a different country. After doing some research I was shocked to see how much rent increased from 1990-2012. The map, below, it shows the difference between the rent prices between 1990 and 2012. In 1990 majority of the map is beige indicating that rent was not very high. However, in 2012 almost the entire map is dark orange/red showing how high rent is in the area.  Rent and trying to understand America’s regulations for businesses were the only major problems they faced.

(Social Explorer Map:Rent in 1990-2012)

However,picking the location of the store was a very crucial decision for the owners. Besides the area being economically sound it had to be family friendly. Family oriented was something the owners continually stressed. Bay ridge was very family oriented, which they love. In Egypt family is everything; everything people did was with their families. It was refreshing for the owners to see that some of the Egyptian traditions existed in the states as well. As the years went by, Bay Ridge continued to be known as family friendly. I was shocked that three generations of a family came here almost every Saturday at opening time for fresh bread, truly remarkable. it truly shows how much this bakery was apart of families living in Brooklyn.

The map below shows how many families lived in the Bay Ridge area in 1980 in comparison to 2014. I noticed that the family setting has been there since the 1980s and has increased by 2014 but not by much because the amount of families living there was already very high.

(Social Explorer:Families living in Bay Ridge in 1980-2014)

The bakery has a huge line almost everyday for the amazing baked goods they sell. However, the bakery’s customer basis wasn’t always that large, (as mentioned perviously). When the bakery first opened majority of their customers were people from the Coptic Orthodox Church congregation, but as the bakery became more well-known on 3^rd Avenue, people from all different backgrounds came to try the amazing sesame bread. Her customers now are from all different backgrounds and locations; trekking from different parts of Brooklyn and sometimes different boroughs to come to try the bread.
Opening up a secondary store or relocating all together is something the owners never thought about. They love their Bay Ridge family. This neighbor has become not only home for them but family as well. The owners are very happy with their store on Bay Ridge 3^rd Avenue and the relationships they have made with customers who live and don’t live in the area.

References:

“Comparison of Rent, 1990-2012.” Map. Social Explorer. Social Explorer, n.d. Web. April 30th, 2016.. (based on data from U.S. Census Bureau)

“Family Demographics,1980-2014.” Map. Social Explorer. Social Explorer, n.d. Web. April 30th, 2016.. (based on data from U.S. Census Bureau)