Introducing Humans of Rockaway: Mohamed Hakim

By Shaun Smith

All roads lead to Rockaway. When my mom told me and my siblings that growing up, we would shrug it off. “No one knows what Rockaway is,” we would tell her.

In 2021, I started college at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. At this point, I had only left America once (a family trip to Turks and Caicos) and New York State only a handful of times. By the time I graduated last summer, I had been to more than 40 cities throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, and I found it to be true. No matter where I was—Northern Albania, Bangkok, Vienna—if you searched, if you asked enough questions, you could find your way back to Rockaway. What is it about our tiny peninsula that makes it so special? Some people think about the legacy of Playland, others point to the news coverage after Hurricane Sandy, but confidently, I say it is the people here.

Many readers will be familiar with Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York,” a glorious, raw, honest collection of short interviews with New Yorkers. Stanton asks participants a single question and publishes, unedited, their answer. The relative absence of his own perspective gives the participants power to tell their stories in their own words, to show a genuine piece of themselves, untainted by a narrator’s opinion.

I intend for “Humans of Rockaway” to be similar in substance, though not an exact replica of Stanton’s project. In an everyone-knows-everyone town, we assume we, well, know everyone. But we don’t. In the digital age, and during such a divisive time, genuine connection and mutual understanding have become difficult to achieve. The barriers that prevent us from knowing and appreciating, even loving, our neighbors push us towards apathy. But in Rockaway, we understand the importance of community. We do not subscribe to the anonymity typical of city life; we want to know each other, we want to connect with each other. Through “Humans of Rockaway,” I intend to strengthen our sense of community by highlighting some of the people who make Rockaway the amazing, unique place it is. I want us to really know each other, and to feel encouraged to learn more about those we think we know. So, without further ado, I would like to introduce a man we have all known for decades, who remembers what you like in your coffee, how your daughter likes her bagels, and that your wife doesn’t like mayo on her BLT: Mohamed Hakim.

Mohamed has been in my life for as long as I can remember. Before I could see over the counter at Beach Bagel, he knew my order, my mom’s, my dad’s, and all three of my siblings’ orders. When I moved abroad, he always welcomed me home with a hot, fresh BEC on toasted everything with hot sauce, and sent me back to school with a well-wrapped mixed (bakers’) dozen. My relationship with him is not unique, though; this is how Mohamed treats every single person who walks through his doors.

I walked over to chat with Mohamed on Sunday just as church was getting out. He walked out from behind the counter and greeted me with his famous smile and a hug.

“I was born and raised in Lebanon. I came to New York in 1989. Me and my brothers, we bought a place in Manhattan.” Mohamed was about 25 when he left Beirut with his mom and brothers. “It was tough, when I used to be in Manhattan, you see, it was different—it’s not the same customers every day, and you try to build relationships, but it was hard at the beginning, you know, the first year. After that, you get used to the community and everything.

“We came to Manhattan, we opened a business, after a couple of years working, of course. It was a deli. And then, because the rent was getting higher, we decided to sell, and everyone goes on their way. One of the guys who knew me said this place in Rockaway they wanted to sell … y’know it’s far, but it’s nice,” Hakim said.

At the time, he was living in Bay Ridge. His brothers had gone their separate ways; one selling cars at a dealership in Jersey, the other bought several pizza shops in the city. “So I came here, and I liked the place because it was less hours than Manhattan—Manhattan was 24 hours. I came to Rockaway in like 1996/97, and … I’m still here!” Before Beach Bagel, Mohamed had a 24/7 deli on 2nd Ave. and 13th Street. “You have no time, because you see people round the clock, you always see people coming in and out.”

When Hakim came to Rockaway, the place we know as Beach Bagel was an Ice Cream Luncheonette. Those who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s will remember that, even before that, it was Dandy Lions clothing store. Though true Rockaway natives may recall the candy shop, affectionately known as Dirty Irv’s. When he bought it, he took it over as a bagel store and added a bit of himself to it. “I changed it up a little bit, trying to be better. It wasn’t always this big; it was very small, but we’ve been updating it little by little.” The store has changed over the years, the fluffy, delicious bagels, Mohamed’s own recipe, have not.

“I love it,” Hakim said. “I know everybody. I love it. I love working here.” It will come as no surprise that his favorite part of his job is the people. His ever-present smile grew larger as he talked about it. “To talk to people, I talk to everybody.”

I asked how he remembers us all. Since I was little, I’ve marveled at his seeming omniscience. “Because I like it. I like the people. I like the place. I like the customers, it’s the most important thing.” The best part of his day? “The morning, of course. Everybody’s here, it’s fast, the day goes fast,” Hakim said. It was hard for him to choose a favorite memory of his time in Rockaway. “Every day is amazing. I don’t know, the summer here is great.” When I pushed a little, he told me, “You know what? After 9/11. Everybody came to me, asked me if I needed anything, the whole neighborhood. It means a lot to me. I love the neighborhood.” He also remembered with fondness watching his son play basketball, especially at the St. Francis Christmas Tournament.

We ended our conversation with a hug, and obviously, Mohamed refused to let me leave empty-handed. His love and his generosity lingered with me throughout the day.

 To nominate someone for Humans of Rockaway, reach out to aah.shaun@gmail.com.