'HIS TALENT WAS JUST UNDENIABLE' Ed Schwartzman celebrates the memory of his son through music

By Ruth Cronin rmcronin@iu.edu | @RuthCronin6

Photos by Goodman Murphy-Smith goomurph@iu.edu

Gables Bagels owner Ed Schwartzman cracks a joke in the tight quarters of the back of his store on a Tuesday morning. Richie Bowling, his business partner, scoops homemade chive cream cheese from a mixer. A buzz can be heard in the background.

“My bagels are ready,” Ed says. But these aren’t just any bagels. Inspired by his first job at a bagel shop in Queens, Ed found a way to bring New York bagels to Bloomington. Gable's Bagels are 95% cooked, before being overnight shipped from New York to Ed, bringing the East Coast bagel experience to Indiana.

By 8 a.m., Ed begins to package four dozen fresh bagels into a black warmer, separating the asiago cheese from the everything bagels — something Ed says shows you know what you’re doing.

He climbs into his black Kia Telluride and plugs the bagel warmer into the car. His 12-year-old daughter’s soccer gear is still in the backseat from the weekend.

Ed pulls into the Audi dealership on Third Street, greeting everyone with a smile and handshake. After getting their names, he tells them “I’m Ed Schwartzman from Gables Bagels”.

He sets bags of fresh bagels and cream cheese down in the lobby.

“You didn’t have to do this,” general manager Craig Smith said in response to the free breakfast.

“You didn't have to do what you did either,” Ed smiles back.

The previous week, Ed was struggling to get his pontoon boat out of the water in Lake Monroe — a task he always took on alone. A red trailer sat next to him on the ramp, and he hoped that its owner would be able to help him when they arrived. Finally, he saw a candy apple red boat coming in. He offered its driver, Craig, all the help he could possibly use, for any small amount of help he could give in return.

“One good turn deserves another,” Ed said as he left the dealership.

• • •

In his car, Ed pulls up Spotify. Ben Schwartzman is his most recently played artist. He plugs in his auxiliary cord and smiles as Ben’s face on the cover of his album “Falling Star” lights up the screen on his radio. Ben is Ed’s son. After battling depression and bipolar disorder, Ben died by suicide 15 years ago at 19 years old. Ben started playing music at open mics in coffee shops when he was 15 years old. He carried his guitar with him everywhere, Ed said. Ed listens intently, staring forward as he sings the lines of every song, before Ben even sings it.

When the song “Freakin” comes on Ed cups his hands around his mouth and begins to make a loud trumpet sound with his mouth. Every note matches the song.

“I was really mad he didn’t let me play this on the song because he and I used to hand trumpet all the time,” Ed said with a melancholic smile.

Next, the song “Big Man” plays — a nickname Ben called his father. The song however, is about God. Ed says the lyrics before they play: “Big man up in the sky, when is my time to die?”

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