‘This loss is immeasurable.’ Co-founder of Tacoma’s Howdy Bagel killed in New Orleans
The co-founder of Tacoma’s beloved Howdy Bagel, 32-year-old Jacob Carter, was killed Friday in a shooting in New Orleans, according to the city’s coroner’s office. He was traveling on vacation with his husband.
The New Orleans Police Department responded at about 1:30 a.m. to calls of an unresponsive male near the intersection of Bourbon Street and Kerlerec Street in the Marigny neighborhood. Few details were immediately available about the incident. According to police, the suspected shooter approached Carter, shot him and fled. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office confirmed Monday that Carter was the victim. Police did not immediately respond to phone calls from The News Tribune, but it appears that no arrests have been made.
In a phone call with The News Tribune Monday morning, Carter’s husband and business partner Daniel Blagovich said they were attacked.
“He died in my arms,” he said.
Howdy Bagel, which grew from a farmers market sensation in 2021 to a wildly popular brick-and-mortar restaurant at 5421 South Tacoma Way last summer, first announced the death on its Instagram page.
“If you knew Jake, you know he was someone who exuded kindness, warmth, and genuine care to everyone he met,” it read. “Jake was one of the brightest spots in the lives of everyone he loved. This loss is immeasurable for our community.”
The storefront has closed temporarily to allow Blagovich time to navigate the situation, the post continued, asking for donations to support the shop’s staff.
“Daniel and Jacob have been continually blown away and grateful for the ways that this community has rallied together to support Howdy Bagel. We know that in this difficult season, you will all continue to show up with love and support,” it said.
The GoFundMe, organized by Stevi Hamill and Scout McLaughlin, requested $50,000 but within 24 hours had amassed nearly $150,000.
Carter, who was born and raised in Texas, created Howdy Bagel with Blagovich, from West Seattle, after they were both laid off from their jobs during the pandemic. As a proudly queer company that also baked delightful bagels and sandwiches with housemade ingredients, it took off, with fans waiting in line for hours at the Proctor Farmers Market and pop-ups throughout Tacoma and occasionally Seattle.
Olympia Coffee, where Carter worked part-time before jumping fully into the family business, shared on Instagram Sunday that its team was “heartbroken” to learn of his death.
“Words cannot express the shock and pain we are in as a team at Olympia Coffee. Jake Carter was a close friend to so many in our community,” it said.
Keely Silva-Glenn of The Collection Bakery in Tacoma described Carter as “a man full of love and positivity” and that “to say he was the brightest light would be an understatement.”
What Carter helped build, added the owners of The Barber Collective, a queer barber shop in Tacoma, was more than just a bagel shop or another small business: “It is a safe haven where acceptance, love, and joy thrives.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2024 at 11:35 AM.
