Help Belle's Lay Down Roots & Recovery Fund
Donation protected
Almost ten years ago, we made our first bagel in our apartment kitchen in Angeleno Heights. We wondered why there were no bagel shops around and we thought we could make them well and we figured there could even be a business in it, maybe, if a bunch of things that felt impossible or that we didn't even know about yet happened.
But since that first bake what we really dreamt and daydreamt about, the place our unrestrained imaginations went to, what we in our minds built and took apart and updated and grand-opened over and over again, was the perfect neighborhood delicatessen. We'd fight over fixtures and furnishings, and hold deli treat tournaments - I And Joy’s bagels vs. Western Bagels; the #19 against the #54 at Langer’s. Back on earth we were napping in our cars in the hour between finishing a bake and starting service.
The dream deli wasn’t just about what we’d make - it was where we would some day see and serve our friends and families and neighbors. It would be our offering and ode to the greats of LA deli culture like Brent's and Langer's and Art's and Canters. It would be a gateway to our culture and bubbies’ kitchens. Our sunny, starter-scented brick and mortar was how we would sink roots into our ever-changing city and give something back to the place that gave us so much of who we are.
Today we can finally say that we’ve found a place where that dream can come true. Belle’s current pop-up-ish location at Cote Est will become Belle’s Bagels & Delicatessen.
Belle’s Bagels & Delicatessen will be a place where the bread is baked fresh (by us), the locally smoked fish is sliced fresh, and pickles are always available - an all day affair that would allow you to get a bagel in the morning, a reuben (on fresh double baked rye) for lunch, a nosh in the late afternoon, a bowl of matzo ball soup for dinner and a cocktail or piece of cheesecake to end the night. It will be a comfortable neighborhood space, still fueled by our core ethos - a place for everyone, dedicated to affordability, quality, and tradition. Plus, we’ll continue to create vegetarian and vegan friendly options to make sure everyone leaves us happy and full. This is, of course, the jewish mantra.
We can’t express just how exciting this is for us. We feel so lucky, but the bottom line is we really wouldn’t be here without all of you and your support. So first the entire Belle’s family would like to say thank you for all you have done for us - especially during these unusual and isolating and difficult times. Thank you for keeping us connected to our purpose and sanity and selves.
We also always knew we would need your help to build Belle’s - we've been drafting this post for a long time. And we had a whole plan for how we would ask, and when, and what for. But this last year really has had its way with plans. We were months away from our grand opening, weeks away from escrow closing, and days away from announcing this project and starting our crowdsourcing campaign when a member of our staff tested positive for COVID, causing the immediate closure of our business. We now need your help in raising funds to both financially recover from a surprise week long closure and to help us turn 5022 York Blvd into our new, permanent home.
The closure came at a terrifying time for Belle’s as we are weeks away from taking over the lease for good at 5022 York blvd. Over the last 10 years thanks to diligent saving, an SBA loan, and the help of our dedicated team we’ve been able to make it farther than we ever thought we could. But unfortunately, at a time when it was all just starting to look and feel real, this unexpected blow pulls the fully realized Belle’s farther from our reach.
Out of full transparency we’d like to show the financial cost of a surprise closure. Our weekly payroll will be right around $12,000. We feel that because the closure was out of our staff’s control it shouldn’t come at their expense. So we will be paying our employees their normal wages throughout the time we're closed down. The CDC required sanitization and deep clean will cost another $1500. Because we use fresh meat and produce and no preservatives in our bread we’ll lose around $1000 in food spoilage. And $2,800 in pro-rated rent between our two kitchen facilities. So on the low end, not including utilities, other related costs, and loss of profits this closure will cost us right around $17,500.
Beyond the major financial blow that landed this week we will be facing major costs to purchase new equipment, redesign the restaurant’s current layout and facade, and upgrade electrical and lighting, as well as all the fixtures, furniture and more. We can’t wait to serve you tall sandwiches and drinks in long glasses; to plate your hot latke with chilled dollops of home-made creme fraiche and apple sauce; to clear your plates and refill your coffees and bring you a test batch of rugelach. We could go on forever, but to make this really long story just plain old long: we need help making this final push across the finish line. We are asking for your help in raising the money to make the dream come true, and help two native angelenos give back to the city they love in the best way they know how - through food and hospitality and picky, awkward, boisterous Jewish love.
We hope this will be a space where everyone feels at home, and we can’t wait. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
-Nick & JD
P.S. We also understand there are far more pressing issues in the world right now, so if reading this got you in the mood for donating feel free to reach out to your favorite charity instead
But since that first bake what we really dreamt and daydreamt about, the place our unrestrained imaginations went to, what we in our minds built and took apart and updated and grand-opened over and over again, was the perfect neighborhood delicatessen. We'd fight over fixtures and furnishings, and hold deli treat tournaments - I And Joy’s bagels vs. Western Bagels; the #19 against the #54 at Langer’s. Back on earth we were napping in our cars in the hour between finishing a bake and starting service.
The dream deli wasn’t just about what we’d make - it was where we would some day see and serve our friends and families and neighbors. It would be our offering and ode to the greats of LA deli culture like Brent's and Langer's and Art's and Canters. It would be a gateway to our culture and bubbies’ kitchens. Our sunny, starter-scented brick and mortar was how we would sink roots into our ever-changing city and give something back to the place that gave us so much of who we are.
Today we can finally say that we’ve found a place where that dream can come true. Belle’s current pop-up-ish location at Cote Est will become Belle’s Bagels & Delicatessen.
Belle’s Bagels & Delicatessen will be a place where the bread is baked fresh (by us), the locally smoked fish is sliced fresh, and pickles are always available - an all day affair that would allow you to get a bagel in the morning, a reuben (on fresh double baked rye) for lunch, a nosh in the late afternoon, a bowl of matzo ball soup for dinner and a cocktail or piece of cheesecake to end the night. It will be a comfortable neighborhood space, still fueled by our core ethos - a place for everyone, dedicated to affordability, quality, and tradition. Plus, we’ll continue to create vegetarian and vegan friendly options to make sure everyone leaves us happy and full. This is, of course, the jewish mantra.
We can’t express just how exciting this is for us. We feel so lucky, but the bottom line is we really wouldn’t be here without all of you and your support. So first the entire Belle’s family would like to say thank you for all you have done for us - especially during these unusual and isolating and difficult times. Thank you for keeping us connected to our purpose and sanity and selves.
We also always knew we would need your help to build Belle’s - we've been drafting this post for a long time. And we had a whole plan for how we would ask, and when, and what for. But this last year really has had its way with plans. We were months away from our grand opening, weeks away from escrow closing, and days away from announcing this project and starting our crowdsourcing campaign when a member of our staff tested positive for COVID, causing the immediate closure of our business. We now need your help in raising funds to both financially recover from a surprise week long closure and to help us turn 5022 York Blvd into our new, permanent home.
The closure came at a terrifying time for Belle’s as we are weeks away from taking over the lease for good at 5022 York blvd. Over the last 10 years thanks to diligent saving, an SBA loan, and the help of our dedicated team we’ve been able to make it farther than we ever thought we could. But unfortunately, at a time when it was all just starting to look and feel real, this unexpected blow pulls the fully realized Belle’s farther from our reach.
Out of full transparency we’d like to show the financial cost of a surprise closure. Our weekly payroll will be right around $12,000. We feel that because the closure was out of our staff’s control it shouldn’t come at their expense. So we will be paying our employees their normal wages throughout the time we're closed down. The CDC required sanitization and deep clean will cost another $1500. Because we use fresh meat and produce and no preservatives in our bread we’ll lose around $1000 in food spoilage. And $2,800 in pro-rated rent between our two kitchen facilities. So on the low end, not including utilities, other related costs, and loss of profits this closure will cost us right around $17,500.
Beyond the major financial blow that landed this week we will be facing major costs to purchase new equipment, redesign the restaurant’s current layout and facade, and upgrade electrical and lighting, as well as all the fixtures, furniture and more. We can’t wait to serve you tall sandwiches and drinks in long glasses; to plate your hot latke with chilled dollops of home-made creme fraiche and apple sauce; to clear your plates and refill your coffees and bring you a test batch of rugelach. We could go on forever, but to make this really long story just plain old long: we need help making this final push across the finish line. We are asking for your help in raising the money to make the dream come true, and help two native angelenos give back to the city they love in the best way they know how - through food and hospitality and picky, awkward, boisterous Jewish love.
We hope this will be a space where everyone feels at home, and we can’t wait. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
-Nick & JD
P.S. We also understand there are far more pressing issues in the world right now, so if reading this got you in the mood for donating feel free to reach out to your favorite charity instead
Fundraising team (2)
James Rocchio
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Nick Schreiber
Team member
