06/17/2026
9 MOTHERF*CKING YEARS, Y’ALL.
I was 27 years old, sick of working for people who didn’t share my values, my vision, or the way I thought people should be treated. Opening my own place was never part of some grand master plan. I didn’t grow up dreaming about owning a bagel and lox shop. And yet, somehow, here we are.
Lox + Schmear is 9 years old today. It has become more than I ever imagined it could. A business, of course, but also a community and a gathering place. That’s not to say it’s been easy. In fact, it’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The most exhausting, stressful, anxiety-filled endeavour of my life. There have been moments when I questioned everything. Moments when I wanted to quit. Moments when I wasn’t sure how I’d continue to push ahead, and somehow, I always did.
That’s because of the people who have shown up for us over the last nine years. The customers who became regulars, and the regulars who became friends.
Thank you for every pack of lox, every bagel, every catering order, every kind word, and every bit of support along the way.
9 years later and I’m still looking for money and trying not to cry 😂.
With gratitude,
Lev
