At Feltz Bagels on the Lower East Side, the breakfast sandwiches, soft pretzels, and rainbow-colored bagels look good enough to eat, but you shouldn’t take a bite out of them. Everything in this bagel shop is made of felt. Fetlz Bagels is the latest pop-up from British artist Lucy Sparrow. Sparrow previously brought her handmade creations to New York City in a felt-filled bodega and deli. Now, the artist is paying homage to the Jewish bagel shops of Manhattan with her latest immersive exhibit.
At today’s opening, Lucy herself will be serving up her handmade creations. You can order one of thirteen different bagel varieties. Pick up a poppy seed bagel covered in tiny black beads, or a sesame decorated with countless tiny stitches. Your hand-sewn bagel can go home with plain or you can fill it with your favorite schmear and stuffing for a completely customized and personalized work of art. Everything you’d find in a regular bagel store is here, from cream cheese and lox and eggs and cheese to pastrami and pickles.
Presented in partnership with TW Fine Art, the bagel shop is also stocked with other New York and Jewish staples like black and white cookies, challah bread, matzos, and rugelach. There’s also a selection of canned drinks and candies like Skittles and Coke. No tiny detail has been overlooked.
Sparrow took her inspiration for the store from classic Jewish eateries in New York City like Russ and Daughters and Katz’s, which both have a strong connection to the history of the Lower East Side. The Jewish influence also extends to the shop’s name, which (while also being quite literal) is the last name of a Jewish broadcaster from Sparrow’s home, England.
“My work is always focused on community experiences and the amazing everyday products that bring us all together,” Sparrow said about her work, “There really is no greater example of this than the traditional bagel bakeries of the Lower East Side of New York that have been nourishing much more than the stomachs of the city’s residents since the late 19th century. I am so very excited to return once more to New York City and share the Feltz Bagels experience with the local community!”
Feltz Bagels originally opened in Montauk over the summer. It now occupies a vacant storefront on the Lower East Side at 209 East 3rd Street, New York, 10009. The shop will be open from 11am to 8pm from October 3rd to October 31st. The shop is free to enter and all of the art inside is for sale.
Next, check out 8 Must-See Art Installations in October
