TU BISHVAT FEATURE: Did You Know? Shloimy’s Bakery Built Its Factory Around a Living Fruit Tree

By Y.M. Lowy

In honor of Tu B’Shvat, we’re marking the day with some fruit tree focused features.

Every Boro Park resident knows Shloimy’s Bakery on 12th Avenue. What many don’t know is that inside the building — running up through the structure itself — stands a living fruit tree that the owners chose not to cut down, even when it meant redesigning the entire bakery and giving up valuable production space.

Shloimy’s Bakery has been serving the neighborhood for about 27 years, first at the 16th Avenue location, and later expanding with additional nearby locations. Around fifteen years ago, during the post-2008 downturn when prices were lower, the bakery purchased an older two-story building on 12th Avenue to develop into a larger store and full production factory.

Plans were drawn for a four-story structure with a retail storefront and expanded factory floors. After tens of thousands of dollars were already invested in engineering plans and permits, crews were sent to clear the backyard area for construction. That’s when a surprise surfaced — a fruit tree growing on the unused half of the lot.

The tree had gone unnoticed at first because the purchase took place in winter, when everything was bare. In the summer, when a worker came to clear the property, he noticed the tree producing fruit and refused to cut it. The work stopped immediately.

Rather than look for leniencies, the owners decided to keep the tree fully intact and build around it. They scrapped months of existing plans and started over. New designs were created to allow the tree to remain, even though it added major cost and complexity.

The final structure was built surrounding the tree, leaving a full open vertical shaft through the building so it would have air, space, and soil. Large window panels were installed on all sides so the tree remains visible from inside. In the basement, where foundations normally would have covered the entire footprint, a large section was left unexcavated to protect the root system — giving up roughly half the usable basement area.

Specialists were hired to maintain the tree’s health, with ongoing treatment and monitoring. The tree continues to grow and produce mulberries in season.

This article was featured in “Shrift” magazine, one of the four content-filled booklets included in the weekly Mega Dee Voch Package.