Street Cart Bagels has clawed its way back, and Phoenixville is ready to eat.
The New York-style bagel shop, which first opened in February to lines out the door and had 2,000 bagels sold by late morning on Valentine’s Day alone, has finally reopened after a stretch of setbacks, writes Brooke Schultz for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
First came a plumbing failure that sent water backing up into the building. Then, during overnight baking, a fire broke out in one of the kettle vents, forcing owners David and Kimberly Frey to shut down again just as they were finding their footing.
What followed was 70 days of insurance claims, repairs, and equipment replacements ahead of the shop’s grand reopening last Thursday.
At a soft opening for first responders last Wednesday, David Frey said, “It felt like holding our breath for a long time.”
He also noted that the forced pause gave them a chance to sharpen its operations and lay a foundation for the business’s growth, a silver lining baked out of necessity.
Meanwhile, Phoenixville showed up. Kimberly Frey said the community rallied around the shop throughout the closure, and some residents saw a certain poetry in the whole saga, comparing the shop’s comeback to “a phoenix rising from the ashes.” Given the town’s name, it’s hard to argue with that.
Read more about Street Cart Bagels’ triumphant return to Phoenixville in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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