ELLENVILLE – Bill Tochterman makes small talk with some village kids late Monday morning, December 28. They're after some cookies and a can of pop. The loot comes to a dollar... there's no charge for the cookies, he tells the kids. The register pings when the youngster hands Tochterman a $10.

How much change should you get back, Tochterman asks. The boy says $9 and watches as Tochterman counts back the amount.

It's the last day Tochterman will be standing behind that register. After twelve-plus years of ownership, he's closing the doors.

"It's just too bad," he said, explaining how he's enlisted a real estate firm to market the property, advertising throughout the New York metro area with a specific push towards other bakery entrepreneurs. The listing at the agents' website, Herschel Realty Corp, describes the property as historic, with 7,563 square feet and the potential to renovate two apartments above. The price tag for the landmark red brick building: $399,000.

"I'm hoping someone will buy. I'm not able to stay in the bakery business...we're operating at a loss," Tochterman said.

Truth be told, he added, his accountants' answer would have been that the closing and sale should have been done years before. But Tochterman notes how he's felt a responsibility for his employees and wanted to stay in business for as long as possible... for them and for his customers.

As the big name hotels boarded up and Schrade closed, business dwindled. Then, Tochterman said, his four large accounts — various school districts in the area and the hospital — backed out, saying they could get the needed products for less.

Walmart came in... and the old baker couldn't compete.

Over the past twelve years, neither Tochterman — who baked many of the famous breads and pastries himself — or his wife, who made the soups and salads, took a salary. Over that time, he added, the family put a lot of effort into modernizing the bakery, updating the kitchen and constructing a new facade.

"There was a lot of money invested," he said.

There was no big fanfare closing planned, Tochterman added, noting that he heard about comments made on Facebook and appreciated his customers sentiments.

For the most part, he said, they couldn't understand why the bakery, in place on Center Street since 1942, had to close their doors. It was tough explaining.

While it's hard going on, Bill Tochterman is looking to enjoy his retirement... or his second retirement, as the case may be. Before getting into the bakery business, Tochterman served the US Postal Service for thirty years, five of those as postmaster in Ellenville.

"Challenges of small businesses in New York are not unique to Ellenville. The cost of doing business continues to escalate making it difficult to competitively offer a consistent quality product," said Dr. Mark Craft, president of the Ellenville/Wawarsing Chamber of Commerce. "As we see new businesses open in Ellenville, it saddens us all to lose a long standing bakery such as Cohen's. We want to wish our best to the Tochterman family as they enter the next chapter of their lives... This is a wake-up call to our community that to keep business here we must support them as often as we can."

Personally, Craft said, he remembers as a child walking from his grandparents house to the bakery Sunday afternoons to purchase bread for their family dinners. Many, he attested, have similar memories.

Tochterman, along with business partner Fouad Kerendian, purchased the Cohen's Bakery name, business and renowned recipes in 2003. Seven years later, Kerendian left the business.

Cohen's Bakery first opened in the early 1920s when Harry Cohen moved his family upstate from the Bronx. Cohen's Quality Bakery started out on Canal Street, moved to another location on the same street, then settled at its final spot at 89 Center Street during the war years. When Harry passed on, sons Willie and Ruby took over. In 1966, Willie passed on leaving the business to Ruby who ran it for 45 years.

Fingers crossed that this landmark gets recognized.