Much-Beloved Silver Moon Bakery Facing Eviction Suit, Upper West Siders Are Appalled

The beloved Silver Moon Bakery, located at 2740 Broadway on the Upper West Side, is facing eviction after its landlord filed a lawsuit to that effect on Jan. 10. They claim the bakery stopped paying rent over seven months ago, as well as failed to vacate the premises.

After tallying late fees, back rent, and penalties, the landlord–Broadside Realty Corp.–is trying to get a judge to force the tiny neighborhood bakery to pay over $300,000. They’ve been in the neighborhood for nearly 25 years, starting in Nov. 2000

The filing was first reported in Crain’s NY Business and The New York Times.

The bakery owners could not be reached, but customers who spoke with The Spirit were all upset that the neighborhood fixture could soon be gone.

Silver Moon Café’s lease expired on May 31, 2024, the lawsuit says, after a seven-year extension on an agreement that was first struck in 2010. Beginning in June 2023, attorneys for the landlord say, monthly rent stood at $13,261.25. The café owners were also responsible for additional costs including water and sewage maintenance, as well as a portion of the coverage of real estate tax increases, which the landlord represented as “$41,658.44 for the tax year 1999-2000.”

By the time of the May 2024 lease expiration, attorneys for Broadside Reality say Silver Moon Café was only $6,084.82 in rent arrears. After that, the suit claims, the bakery owners stopped paying rent entirely. Although Broadside Reality say they wanted to give the business the boot, they claim that Silver Moon Café failed to heed the eviction notice, and did not vacate the premises. Instead, they continued to operate.

This, Broadside Reality’s attorneys argue, triggers certain clauses in the lease that greatly increase what Silver Moon Bakery owes the corporation. For every month of extended occupancy, “two and one half times” the monthly rent will be owed, the suit says. This would amount to $33,153.13 per month. On top of that, a clause was reportedly triggered that would leave the bakery on the hook for the landlord’s legal fees.

All told, according to the plaintiff’s attorneys, Silver Moon Bakery owes $99,277.77 in outstanding debt as of Jan. 3, 2025–on top of $204, 638.92 in outstanding “use and occupancy” fees as of Jan. 9. Attorneys fees are yet to be determined.

A visit to the premises by The Spirit on Jan. 15 revealed that locals aren’t much concerned about these dollar figures, and instead are bemoaning the prospect of losing a much-cherished neighborhood staple. A resident buying bread from Silver Moon–who chose to remain anonymous due to his close familiarity with the business–suggested that the bakery should simply “relocate across the street.” He added that the threat of eviction was “a huge loss for the neighborhood.”

Raoul, who had been coming to the bakery for 20 years, was just as blunt: “They should never evict them. It would be a travesty.”

Two men named Andrew and Doug appeared to be visiting the bakery separately, but they stopped to commiserate together on what its loss would mean for the neighborhood. Doug pointedly said that Broadside Reality had “never been a good landlord,” pointing at empty storefronts also owned by the corporation next door (they possess the entire block).

“I don’t even understand the economics,” Andrew added. “Look around. If Silver Moon Bakery leaves, there’s just another empty storefront.”

A customer named Robin appeared distraught by the news, which had already spread widely enough for her to hear about it: “I really hope it stays. I’m not sure what else to say. People are employed here.”

Diana, grinning, wryly suggested that devoted customers
”picket the courthouse” to prevent the eviction. Her brother had emailed her from Long Island to tell her about the landlord’s filing, which she found “appalling.”