Earlier this week, Blue Sky Bakery, a beloved institution in my Brooklyn neighborhood, closed its doors. The news hit me unexpectedly hard — I have been walking around in a foul mood for days now.
In New York, there is a near-constant churn of local businesses — stores come and go at a bewildering clip. In this environment, Blue Sky’s 21-year run is no small accomplishment.
The bakery opened just a few months before I moved to Park Slope with my family. It was a favorite destination for my kids when they were growing up. Now, Blue Sky’s closing coincides with my daughters leaving college and joining the working world. So, in mourning the loss of Blue Sky, I am also mourning the end of an important phase of my life.
Blue Sky’s remarkable staying power was due primarily to the excellence of their signature muffins, but it was also due to the quality of their hospitality. The owner, Erik Goetze, was a good citizen of the neighborhood. He remembered his regular customers’ faces and names. He was an important set of “eyes on the street,” in the Jane Jacobs sense — he was a regular presence on the block, almost always with a smile on his face.
My corner of Brooklyn has experienced substantial change over the course of Blue Sky’s lifespan. The arrival of the massive Barclays Center arena has made the neighborhood a nighttime destination, bringing with it new bars and restaurants. Rezoning has encouraged significant residential development along 4th Avenue. The Atlantic Yards project (now called “Pacific Park”) has transformed the skyline, adding a number of towering buildings. As the City’s best food writer has noted, we’ve seen the “mallification” of 5th Avenue, as chain stores have moved in and mom-and-pop businesses have moved out.
Amidst all this churn, Blue Sky played an important role in building a sense of local community. It was an anchor as so much around it changed. Blue Sky’s closing will inevitably leave my neighborhood a little less friendly, a little less idiosyncratic, and a little less safe.
As I tried to unpack my feelings about Blue Sky, I was reminded of this quote from the musician Nick Cave (taken from an interview in Quillette), which I think encapsulates my worldview better than I ever could:
In this spirit, I say farewell to Blue Sky, which was indeed something worth conserving.