For the past few years, business owner Tom Leggio has risen at 3:30 a.m. each morning, driven from his Mahopac home and arrived at The Bagel Shoppe in Katonah in time to make fresh bagels and open the store by 5:30 a.m.
Though the shop has been open for the past 16 years in the Katonah Avenue shopping plaza, Leggio employed someone to help him open the store. When the economy soured, he had to let that employee go.
Now he's closing his doors for good because he said he was unable to re-negotiate a lease he found palatable. At $6,000 a month in rent for the 1,300 square-foot space, he said he just can't stay.
"I love this community, and they've been great to us—we're going to miss them," said Leggio on Tuesday.
Leggio said he owns some land in the Mahopac / Baldwin Place area, and is currently trying to get town approvals for opening a new country market and deli/bakery there.
A call to Firestein Management, which owns the Katonah Shopping Center, was not immediately returned; Patch was not able to confirm what type of business is filling the space at 280 Katonah Avenue. Leggio believed it to be another bagel/bakery.
He posted a sign both on the front door and on the front counter of his shop to let his customers know that the last day of the store's operation will be November 21.
"It's going to be a sad day," he said.
