Page 24 - Cityview_Jan_Feb_2014

From the

Editor

I

was 10 when my ber the costs of the cream cheese or the lox, but we added a

healthy percentage to each item and insisted on a $1 delivery
entrepreneurial charge. In 1970, that was real money! And so, no matter the

wind or the weather, every Sunday morning, at 6 a.m., my part-
career first took ner and I would awaken and walk over to Johnson Avenue, the

shopping center just a few blocks away, and we would gather
flight.
the bagels and cream cheese and the lox, and trudge back to

one of our apartments, separate and package the orders, and
deliver throughout the building no later than 9 a.m.

I needed money for baseball cards, record albums, and The business earned about $80 to $100 a week, and now
pizza. Didn’t we all? What to do? A lemonade stand wasn’t we each had at least $40 a week in our pockets. Not bad for a

my cup of tea, and I didn’t want to spend my afterschool 10 year old, as I think back now. And with LPs listed at $3.99,
afternoons tethered to walking dogs.
I had plenty of extra cash to get that latest Chicago or Beach

I met with my business partner (and in those days, I admit, Boys hit. (Dylan and Elvis Costello and Joni Mitchell, Prince
I believe the term for my partner—today a managing partner and XTC and the Hoodoo gurus, Television and The Talking

at Credit Suisse—was best friend), and we agreed on a busi- Heads and gentle giant all came later!)
ness plan (I believe we called our idea, in the language of the I always complained about the early-morning hours and the

day, something to do to make some money): We would deliver occasional belligerent customer, but I’ve always been proud
hot bagels and all the various sides
of that first business. (I think we called

and schmears every Sunday morning.
ourselves “The Bagel Boys”; were we
We lived in a 200-family apartment starting today I expect I’d ask Adam

building, and the plan was this: on Sandler to write a song about us.)
Thursday and Friday evenings, we I suspect none of the entrepreneurs

would ring doorbells throughout the featured in this issue started by schlep-
building and take orders for bagels ping bagels, but the stories you can

(plain, onion, garlic, salt, everything, read are inspiring and compelling. our
or pumpernickel), tubs of cream surrounding business community is

cheese or butter, and packages of
filled with unique individuals following
lox or Nova Scotia salmon (there is
extraordinary entrepreneurial suc-

a significant taste distinction due to
cess—and Cityview is proud to feature
a variance in brining). And that was stories of some well-known and not-so-

it: No chocolate chip bagels, no egg well-known Knoxvillians.
sandwiches, and for goodness sake no oh yes: In case you are interested

lattes or demi-semi-half-whatnots. and invite me over some Sunday:
Just bagels, cream cheese or butter, These days, I prefer an everything

and lox or Nova.
bagel with plain cream cheese, Nova,
Bagels then cost 12 cents. (Yes.
three thin slices of onion, and capers.

You read that correctly. 12 cents.)
Sour pickles are optional.
We charged 25 cents a bagel—a 100

percent markup! Did I not have on my
entrepreneurial hat? I can’t remem-

Steven Friedlander
Editor-in-chief

22 cityviewmag.com january february 2014