By Matt Hampton
On April 19, a fire that started in one of the bagel ovens tore through the back half of the building and brought down part of the roof. But after being out of operation for less than a month, the shop is back in business thanks to a Herculean effort on the part of its workers, and construction contractors. “Any given day and night, we had almost 40 or 50 people working to get this place together,” said Nino Scolieri, A&S’s owner. “We were open non-stop, working for 11 days.”
On May 14, the shop celebrated a grand re-opening, complete with fanfare from the local fire department and a ceremonial ribbon cutting with local officials, including Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray. “It really was a labor of love, from our perspective,” Murray said. “We know that the citizens couldn’t last too long without the fabulous bagels from this store.”
Murray and Scolieri both mentioned how quickly the town had worked to complete the paperwork and the inspections necessary to clear the building for operations again. Everything from its frame to wiring and plumbing had to be repaired or replaced and then inspected by the town.
Murray said the town was happy to make the extra effort, knowing how important A&S is to Franklin Square. “We did everything we could to expedite the paperwork to get the bagel store back up and running,” she said.
Locals lined up after the ribbon cutting to buy bagels. Richard Ware, 45, said he sorely missed coming into the shop every day — not just for the bagels, but for the friendly faces as well. “Nino, the owner, he’s top-shelf,” Ware said, pointing, “... I feel like my kitchen’s open again.”
Scolieri’s son Greg, who operates the shop with his father, said that A&S would not have reopened had it not been for the love and support of loyal customers like Ware. “The support of the community really helped us out,” Greg said. “They wanted us to get back to work. The whole town really came together to make sure we were baking again.”
The shop was humming last Thursday morning, with customers smiling and shaking hands with Nino and his family. In the back, bagels were rolling off the baking line as if nothing had happened, and making their way into the hands of smiling patrons. “We have a good relationship with our customers,” Greg Scolieri said. “We’re happy to see them, they’re happy to see us. It’s great to see their faces again smiling.”
Comments about this story? MHampton@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.
