Jan. 16, 2017 By Christian Murray
An old-school Italian bakery on Roosevelt Avenue that was supposed to close for good Sunday has made a last-minute decision to stay open.
Iliana LaMicela, the owner of V&V Bakery, told The Sunnyside Post Sunday that the 45-year-old bakery, located at 61-19 Roosevelt Avenue, was closing for good.
She said that it was closing because business was weak and the rent had recently been raised. Furthermore, she said, the landlord leased space to a Chinese bakery on the same block last year that was also hurting business.
But Sunday night V&V announced on Facebook that it was reopening “due to popular demand’ and told its followers that “We love Woodside” and the legacy will live on.
The bakery, which opened in 1972 when Woodside was largely an Irish neighborhood, has changed little over the years.
The bakery still has its vintage signs out front, has glass cases by the counter typically filled with cookies and desserts, and shelves at the back usually for bread and additional desserts.
The store bakes everything on premises and sells items such as pastries, pies, cakes and bread.
The bakery, however, has suffered as many of its long-time Irish-American customers have moved out of the area. The new residents have largely come from Asia and Latin America and often go to bakeries that were established by their respective countrymen.
“Many of our customers who moved away would come back and see us from time to time,” LaMicela said. “Our customers were like family to us.”
The business reopens January 17.
Iliana LaMicela (middle) with her son and daughter
