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46 | SEPTEMBER 9 • 2021 

business SPOTlight

Eventually, in the 1960s, 
Morris owned the business out-
right with his son Harvey. 
The bagel shop kept moving, 
following the Jewish commu-
nity north through Detroit and 
eventually to the suburbs. Many 
Detroiters remember the store 
on Schaefer north of Seven 
Mile, near the former Ahavas 
Achim synagogue. Nearly 50 
years ago, the flagship store was 
opened in Ferndale, and later 
stores in Southfield and West 
Bloomfield.
Over time, Morris retired, 
and Harvey was solely at the 
helm until Howard came along. 
Howard earned a Ph.D. in 
speech and hearing sciences 
and taught at the University of 
Wisconsin in Milwaukee before 
returning to Detroit in the late 
’80s looking to switch paths.
“I was an assistant professor, 
and I wanted to change my 
career,
” Howard said. “My father 
had always left the door open 
for me to join him, and I decid-
ed to take the plunge in 1987.
” 
Howard eventually became 
a partner with his father and 
gained full ownership and con-
trol as his father retired years 
later.
Soon after Goldsmith took 
the plunge, the bagel business 
exploded in the early 1990s. 
“That’s when Einstein Bros. 

Bagels and Bruegger’s Bagels 
came along — they were react-
ing to the explosion,
” Goldsmith 
said. “What was nice for us 
is we were there to catch the 
wave.
”
Over 30 years after enter-
ing the business and reaping 
the rewards of the explosion, 
Goldsmith is ready to hand the 
reins over to his son, just like 
his father and grandfather did 
before him. 

NEW GENERATION
While working full time in the 
bagel business was never the 
plan, Phil Goldsmith worked 
at the shop since he was a kid, 
throughout high school, during 
college and even after college on 
the weekends.
After college, he went into 
public accounting and became 
a licensed CPA, eventually 
working at a firm and a small 
business. 
Looking for a change in 
mid-2014, Phil started talking 

with his father about potentially 
transitioning into the family 
business as well.
“He was overjoyed, I think, 
because there really wasn’t a 
transition plan otherwise,
” Phil 
said. “In the back of my head, I 
always sort of felt the legacy was 
something I had to keep going. 
I’ve got a brother and sister but 
neither of them live in town, 
and I felt it was time. A small 
fraction of businesses make it 
to 100 years and make it to the 
fourth generation, so I was feel-
ing it was an important legacy 
to carry on. Looking back, I’m 
happy I did.
” 
In hindsight, Phil doesn’t 
know if the move was fate, but 
does feel it was almost inevita-
ble. 
“Who else was going to do it 
if it weren’t me? What would’ve 
happened? My dad would have 
sold it to somebody, and who’s 
to say it would’ve been the same 
New York Bagel anymore,
” Phil 
said. 

Now co-owner with his 
father, Phil knows how mon-
umental his role is in being a 
fourth-generation owner.
“It’s really something to be 
proud of,
” Phil said. “We just 
lost my grandfather this year 
back in March, and he was 
ecstatic that I decided to join. 
He was second generation and 
got to work with his father, 
my father got to work with his 
father and now I get to work 
with my father and help him 
start to wind down and transi-
tion to the next generation.
” 
Phil has one child, a 6-year-
old daughter, and laughs when 
the topic of fifth-generation 
potential comes up. It may be a 
bit too early to tell, Phil believes. 
“When I ask her what she 
wants to do, she says she wants 
to be a teacher or veterinari-
an,
” Goldsmith said. “She’s not 
thinking about bagels, she likes 
to eat them, but not about mak-
ing them.
”
Goldsmith has made many 
contributions to New York 
Bagel so far, but none more 
important than adding to the 
company’s technological capa-
bilities. He has spearheaded 
efforts in adding DoorDash and 
GrubHub delivery service capa-
bility and transitioning from an 
old-school cash register to a full 
point-of-sales system, giving the 

The bagel shop, with three locations 
in Ferndale, West Bloomfield and 
Southfield, wants to offer a FREE bagel 
to all teachers at any of their locations 
on Thursday, Sept. 9, and Friday, Sept. 
10. Teachers just need to show their 
school ID to receive the free bagel. 
For years, New York Bagel has helped 
area schools raise thousands of dollars 
for special school projects, activities and 
materials with their bagel fundraising 
program. New York Bagel sells bagels to 

the schools for $6 a dozen or .50/bagel 
and schools normally conduct a Bagel 
Day each week and sell the bagels for $1 
each. Delivery is available for a nominal 
fee. For more information, visit, www.
NewYorkBagel-Detroit.com. 
In addition, throughout September. 
New York Bagel will be accepting dona-
tions for three area charities, including 
Yad Ezra in Berkley, Detroit PAL in 
Detroit and the Ferncare Free Clinic in 
Ferndale. 

Supporting the Community

“IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD, I 
ALWAYS SORT OF FELT THE 
LEGACY WAS SOMETHING 

I HAD TO KEEP GOING. ”

— PHIL GOLDSMITH

