The warm smell of fresh-baked cookies invites in students, teachers, and parents alike. Inside, Pelhamites sit in jovial spirits, drinking a hazelnut iced coffee or munching on a customized wrap. Friendly staff members stand behind the counter, joking with customers and preparing baked goods. Out of the blue, this is all gone.

Last week, The Bakery at Four Corners, a cornerstone of Pelham eats, closed abruptly after over a decade of dedicated service. A general feeling of shock and sadness swept over the community and still lingers every time one passes Four Corners.

Joey Silva, a senior at PMHS and long-time customer of the Bakery, was incredibly surprised and upset by its abrupt closing.

“The Bakery closing was the worst news I could get right before the start of school,” said Silva. “I went to the bakery almost every morning for an iced coffee, and I don’t know what to do without it.”

Like many others in town, Silva has many fond memories of the Bakery, which served as a constant in the hectic life of PMHS students. “Normally, you could find all of Pelham in there,” said Silva. “The Bakery will be missed dearly.”

Lisa Neubardt is a Pelham local and the owner of the Bakery since 2006. The Pelham Examiner was lucky enough to secure an interview with Neubardt following the Bakery’s closing and is very grateful for the opportunity to talk with her.

Neubardt has similar memories of the Bakery as a supreme constant, pulling people of Pelham together in times of need.

“My favorite memory, even though it was a terrible time, was during Hurricane Sandy,” said Neubardt. “90 percent of Pelham lost power, but we did not… we became the place where everybody came. People came to charge their cell phones. People came because it was cold. People came because they needed food.”

Neubardt reminisced over this oddly sentimental time, one where an unusual beauty was pulled out of unprecedented disaster. She said that it is memories like this that make her so proud to have had the opportunity to run the Bakery.

“I can’t explain it to you,” said Neubardt. “It was a crazy, hectic time. That was exactly what I wanted to do. To be the place where people could come; that they knew they could be safe and comfortable and get what they needed.”

As for the cause for the Bakery’s close, Neubardt didn’t say much. “I had landlord issues, and that really all I can say… There were circumstances beyond my control.”

Neubardt isn’t yet sure what’s next for her, but she’s grateful for the time she had at the Bakery at Four Corners.

“We were very lucky to do what we did for so long,” she reflected. “Not that many people get an opportunity to create something and have it work and have such a warm community to be in. I appreciate how fortunate I was to be in this area. I don’t take it lightly.”

While the Bakery may now be gone, Neubart, along with the rest of Pelham, will remember it for its great food, strong coffee, and even stronger sense of community.