Beloved French Bakery in Biz 20 Years Is Closing in West Village

Locals as well as international patrons are mourning the demise of Marie Blachere, a beloved French bakery in the West Village that is set to close down on Jan. 19, another apparent victim of non-renewal of a lease.

The store on lower Sixth Ave. between Carmine St. and W. 4th St. has been in place for two decades and first time visitors and long time patrons were sad to learn of its pending demise.

Though there are no signs advertising its end of day sale, Adama Diouf, the manager on duty when Our Town stopped by, said the customers all know that at the end of the day, every fresh baked item in the entire stores goes on sale for 50 percent off. “Our customers know about it,” she said. “There’s a big line.

A steady stream of customers popped in Sunday Jan. 11 when Our Town Downtown visited.

”I come here almost every day,” said Maria Mercado, who is from Spain originally but now lives in the West Village. When the workers told her of its imminent closing, she said, her reaction was: “It’s terrible. I said, ‘nooo’! I’m very disappointed.” She said the fresh home made bread has no preservatives so it always has to be eaten on the first day.

John Wilton, an amateur photographer who lives in the neighborhood stopped by with his German shepherd Talya in tow. He said he frequently stops by for a beget or a sandwich. He was stopping by on Sunday Jan. 11 and said he heard the news of the closure “just now...It’s a bit unfortunate.”

Benjamin Bourrgarit and his wife Anne, stopped by with their two young children. They were visiting New York from France and were attracted to the bakery because they said it is familiar brand in France. “We just came because it looked like a nice store,” he said. “it’s a chain in France.”

Joanne Morley from E. 80th St. she frequently stops in when she takes in movies at a vintage theater a few doors down. “The croissants and pastries are very good, that’s why I’m here,” she said.

News was already ricocheting across social media.

”Marie Blacher is a real bakery with good quality, healthful, low-priced items,” wrote Anne Nelligan on the Next Door app. She noted the shop is sandwiched between fast food outlets Popeye’s, Cinnabon, and Carvel. The chain stores “have no place [in] the W. Village, but belong in a shopping mall, food court or highway rest stop,” Nelligan wrote. “This is truly heartbreaking.”

”Oh God, I couldn’t agree more!” wrote another Next Door user, Madeleine Abel. “Will miss them terribly.”

“I just called them,” wrote Louisa Curtis. “The staff are all very upset about them closing too. They will all lose their jobs. Boo!”

”I agree the pastries are delicious however no one except locals know about it,” posted Sandra Holtzman. “I fault lack of proper marketing to there demise (although rents could also be a contributor).”

Adama Diouf, the manager said the store is one of three in the United States. The is an outlet in Great Neck, NY and one in Miami that opened about a year ago. But she said in France, it has over 700 outlets.

The reason for the closing, she said, “The landlord wants the space. And business has been a little slow.” She was originally from Senegal and has worked there two years, coming down from the Bronx each day. She is one of 15 workers who will be getting laid off on the 19th. “We all lose our jobs,” she said.

Nearby, another worker helped a patron. “If you buy three, you get one free.”