'Your Baker' in Bay Ridge set to close doors for good

Lauren Glassberg Image
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Bay Ridge bakery closing after 40 years in business
Lauren Glassberg reports from Brooklyn.

BAY RIDGE (WABC) -- After 40 years in business, a bakery in Brooklyn is closing Wednesday.

The family-owned business is holding out hope that its legacy can live through another entrepreneur.

"Your Baker" is on 86th Street in Bay Ridge.

"I can't believe this is the last day. I've been coming since I was a little kid and my mom brought me for my first black and white cookie," a customer said.

It's a shock to customers. A longtime Bay Ridge bakery is closing up. The shelves are almost bare and the kitchen is silent.

"It's bitter sweet, I just want to cry. Everyone who comes in just gives you that feeling that you just want to cry," said Victor Saraniero, the bakery co-owner.

Victor Saraniero started working for your baker in 1971 when he was 15. He bought it about 10 years later and brought in his younger brother Angelo. They are both ready to retire.

"A lot of people have questioned why, 'Why are you closing right before the holidays, that's when you make your money?' That's exactly why we're closing before the holidays because the hard work is just too much, it's just become too much for us," said Angelo Saraniero, the bakery co-owner.

"They've been here 35, 40 years and it's the only place we ever came to, it's a little bit of a shock," a customer said.

Tuesday he's getting some last licks at a discounted price.

Kelly Mayer stopped by to preserve a memory.

"I used to come here after high school to work and they were lovely. I wanted my baby to see it, but now they are closing," Mayer said.

A new generation won't get to enjoy the goodies there.

"Pleasure serving you, thank you," Angelo said.

But the Saraniero brothers are hoping that another baker will take over the space. They own the building.

"We're really trying to make that work, and really hoping that someone that's of the trade comes in and just carries on for another 40 years. Nothing could make us happier," Angelo said.