In the nearly four decades since Frank Roscigno, Jr., 53, took over his father’s bakery in 1979, he hasn’t had much time for relaxing.

“I wasn’t just the boss that goes in during the day and leaves,” says Roscigno. “It was a 24/7 operation. I had a night crew, a day crew and we worked all holidays. We were never closed.”

Traditional bakeries like Roscigno’s have been on the decline for years. Since 1993, the number of standalone bakeries in the U.S. has dropped by 68%, from nearly 21,000 to just over 6,700 in 2013, according to a report by Sundale Research.

When Frank’s Bakery opened on a busy avenue in the Astoria section in Queens, N.Y., in 1959, it swiftly became a staple among the neighborhood’s close-knit Italian and Greek communities. Around the clock, they pumped out fresh loaves of their signature breads and Italian pastries.

Frank Roscigno, Jr. and his father roll out their last loaf of bread together on May 24, 2014. (Photo: Frank Roscigno, Jr.) More

Roscigno spent most of his teenage years working with his dad behind the counter, but he enrolled in college with plans to study criminal justice and find a place for himself outside the business of butter and flour. When he was just a year into his studies, however, his father, Frank Sr., was badly burned in an accident and could no longer work.

“Once my father got hurt and I came home to help, I just never left,” says Roscigno, who was 19 at the time. Business was good for many years, due in large part to community support and lucrative catering deals he struck up with companies in New York City’s financial district. Investors routinely walked in with offers to buy the bakery, which Roscigno’s family owns, along with the building that housed it. One by one, he turned them down.



But after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, sent the city to a standstill, much of his business stalled as well. By the time things began to pick back up again, the Great Recession came around to deal him another blow. On top of sluggish sales, the neighborhood — and his customer base — was rapidly changing as well.

Priced out of increasingly expensive areas in Brooklyn and Manhattan, an influx of 20-somethings had turned the once-quiet street Frank’s Bakery occupied into a bustling bar and restaurant scene. Frozen yogurt shops and sleek cafes popped up on every corner. Younger customers, he realized, were less interested in classic cannolis and loaves of fresh Semolina bread than they were in Instagram-worthy cupcake displays, gluten-free menus and the Cronut.

His crew of 15 slowly dwindled to fewer than 10. And in May, Roscigno decided to cut his losses and close his doors for the last time. In a few months, an upscale Greek restaurant will take its place.

“It was really sad but I had to do it,” he says. “Once you start hitting your 50s, it’s very hard physically and mentally. Financially, it was the right thing to do.”

A dying breed

Chicago, Ill.'s Angel Food Bakery closed its doors in March. (Photo: Guy Bauer Productions) More

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