A bagel shop in Harlem is facing community backlash for displaying a piece of art outside the store.
The issues began on social media when one content creator, Anastasia X, took issue with Bo’s Bagels’ artistic display and whether it depicted blackface.
“I was like, wow, this is a big, old bagel,” Anastasia X told News 4. “I was like, I understand why some people have a problem with it.”
After her video was shared online, dozens of people responded in the comments section, also taking offense to the promotion of the “bagel guy,” calling it an appropriation of black culture.
“I think people reacted strongly enough that they thought there was a problem,” she continued.
Outraged, store owners took down bagel signs outside Harlem stores, saying the fallout is far from over.
“To me, this art is celebratory and positive,” said Ashley Dikos, a partner at Bo’s Bagels. “He’s smiling, it’s a bagel, it’s a cartoon. It shouldn’t be controversial at all.”
Dikos and her husband have owned Bo’s Bagels on 116th Street for nearly 10 years. She said employees at the store have faced threats and harassment since the original post went viral.
Tom Sanford, the artist behind the “Bagel Guy” design, spoke about what he wanted the artwork to represent.
“I didn’t want it to necessarily be African-American, but I did want it to be Harlem,” Sanford told News 4.
Sanford’s art has previously been displayed in bagel shops and other locations, most recently including silhouettes of Knicks players on display near City Hall. Despite the criticism, he stuck to the design of Bo’s Bagels.
“Harlem, along with the Bronx and other neighborhoods in New York City, can be considered the cradle of hip-hop culture, and to me, that’s [an] Totally positive things,” he said.
The presence of this artwork leaves mixed feelings in the community.
“Different people will have different feelings when they see this,” said a passerby.
For Anastasia X, she said she doesn’t want owners or employees to be harassed, but she wishes they would acknowledge concerns in a different way.
“Of course store owners and artists have the right to stand up for what they believe in, but I think there’s more that can be done in terms of being responsive to the community than just putting the bagel on or putting it down,” she said.
At Bo’s, they want to leave the “bagel guy” behind.
“Of course, being a business owner is not for the faint of heart,” Dickos commented.