Zathmary's - An Empty Space

When Bostonist met a friend for lunch last week in Coolidge Corner, we automatically began walking to our favorite place, Zathmary’s. When we got there, however, we found locked doors and two bewildered little old ladies standing outside. “They’re closed for good!” one of the ladies said, and it was one of those moments that Bostonist thought only happened in movies where everyone gasps in unison. We glanced in the windows and sure enough, all the lights were off and there were bags of packed-up supplies. One of the ladies, who dubbed herself the town crier, informed us that the Needham Zathmary’s had closed a few days before and now this one had followed suit. The crier had heard rumblings of an illness in the owner’s family. Bostonist pulled our dropped jaws from the sidewalk and reluctantly headed a few doors over to Zaftigs.

The professional rumor mill in the Herald family told us that Zathmary’s left more than just bewildered customers like us behind, they left a wake of angry vendors as well (some a little too angry). When Zathmary’s abruptly closed its doors, the store apparently owed local suppliers thousands of dollars in unpaid bills. Employees were reportedly allowed to take home as much of the free food as they wanted, food that could have been used to pay off some of the owners’ debt. We also know that this means there are mini Zathmary’s hiding out in apartments all over Brookline.

The mystery behind the closing frustrates those owed money, who are now looking into legal action, Bostonist is really just missing out on the food. Zathmary’s was the kind of place we always counted on: a deli with ample seating and many different kinds of offerings. We would never leave there unhappy. The space leaves prime real estate in the wake, we just hope it will see a local like block-neighbor JP Licks rather than the other type of block-neighbor Mickey D’s.

Photo courtesy Zathmarys.com
Post contributed by Anna Staniszewski