Tacoma restaurants rally around Howdy Bagel after co-founder’s death. You can help

As news of the untimely death of Howdy Bagel’s Jake Carter reverberated through Tacoma on Monday, an outpouring of support ensued, especially among the tight-knit restaurant industry.

Several local businesses will donate sales directly to the GoFundMe organized to support Carter’s husband and Howdy Bagel co-founder Daniel Blagovich as well the shop’s staff. It has amassed more than $197,000 from more than 3,000 contributors since launching Sunday afternoon.

The shop had been closed for a brief winter break and was expected to reopen this week. Funds will help cover rent, operating expenses and employee wages.

▪ New Frontier Lounge in the Dome District is organizing a fundraising event with donation-based raffles for Saturday, Feb. 3.

▪ Poquitos Tacoma and Stadium Golf will donate 100% of proceeds of a special dish of everything-bagel pretzel bites, as well as a portion of proceeds from the venue’s Sunday Sip shows in February.

▪ Bar Rosa (open daily) in Hilltop will donate $2 of every Texas Sun cocktail sold through the month of January.

▪ Grit City Greens (formerly Crisp Greens) downtown and on Sixth Avenue will donate $2 of every Cowboy Salad through the month of January.

▪ Moshi Moshi in the Stadium District will donate 100% of sales of their Moshi Pale Ale through the month of January.

▪ Corina Bakery will donate 100% of proceeds of $5 Howdy Bagel Shortbread Cookies for the foreseeable future.

▪ Jin Jin Matcha (open daily), which has hosted Howdy Bagel for pop-up events outside the downtown cafe, will donate 100% of all sales and tips on Jan. 9.

▪ Field Bar & Bottle Shop on Sixth Avenue will donate 100% of sales and service charges on Jan. 9.

▪ The Cat and Rabbitt Cake Shop (open Wednesday-Sunday) , a walk-up-only bakery on Sixth Avenue, will donate 100% of sales of Birthday cake slices this week.

▪ en Rama will donate 100% of proceeds from a special Howdy Bagel cocktail this week.

▪ Wooden City in downtown Tacoma will donate 20% of all bar sales this weekend, Jan. 12-14.

▪ Olympia Coffee will donate 100% of all sales at the Proctor Tacoma café on Friday, Jan. 12.

▪ The Collection Bakery will donate 20% of sales and all tips from their Proctor Farmers Market booth on Saturday, Jan. 13.

▪ Wren’s Nest Baking Co. in Ruston will donate 100% of proceeds of cinnamon rolls on Saturday, Jan. 13.

▪ Maggie Magee’s Bake Shop in Fircrest will donate 100% of sales of the “Howdy” Cowboy cookie Jan. 12-14.

▪ Dough Joy Donuts in Seattle will donate 100% of sales of Pride doughnuts this week.

▪ People’s Pilates in Hilltop will donate 20% of all proceeds this week.

▪ Union Salon (open Monday-Saturday) in Opera Alley will donate 100% of every haircut on Friday, Jan. 12 and Saturday, Jan. 13.

▪ The Fernseed (open daily) in South Tacoma will donate proceeds from flowers for Howdy Bagel. Call or order online for pickup, or leave a note to ask staff to walk them down the street.

▪ Charme Natural Nail Studio in the Proctor District will donate 100% of sales on Wednesday, Jan. 10.

▪ The Studio Modern Pilates will donate 100% of proceeds from the 6:10 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. classes at their University Place studio on Thursday, Jan. 11.

▪ Native Wax in Seattle will donate 100% of sales and tips on Saturday, Jan. 13.

▪ Rabbit Foot Tattoo at Courthouse Square will donate 100% of $150 flash tattoos of select Howdy-inspired designs on Jan. 20 and potentially Jan. 21, as well as openings through those dates if available.

▪ Glitter Beauty Bar and Studio at 5421 South Tacoma Way will offer donation-based makeup sessions on Jan. 25, 12-5 p.m.

▪ Arthur Gottlieb (Arty Party Tattoo on Instagram) will donate 100% of proceeds from a series of $150-$200 Howdy-inspired tattoos for the foreseeable future. Book for upcoming Sundays and potentially additional evening hours at Pesky Birds Tattoo at Courthouse Square.

▪ Photographer Cade Twilley will donate 100% of $50 mini photo sessions through mid-January.

▪ MM Nutrition and Wellness based in Puyallup will donate proceeds from nutrition counseling and consulting services this week.

▪ The Beach House Salon in the North End will donate 50% of all retail proceeds in January.

▪ Mason Path Flowers in Tacoma will donate $20 for every spring bouquet subscription purchased in January.

▪ Tuladhara Yoga in Tacoma’s Proctor District will host a donation class on Sundays, 6-7 p.m. for the foreseeable future.

▪ Lauda, a stationery store in downtown Tacoma, will offer a complimentary letter-writing station with cards, stamps and a quiet space to gather during opening hours this week, Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. No purchase necessary.

Carter and Blagovich, on vacation in New Orleans, were walking in the Marigny neighborhood in the early hours of Jan. 5 when an unknown suspect approached them, fatally shooting Carter, 32, and fleeing, according to police.

Since opening Howdy Bagel as a pop-up during the pandemic, leading to the brick-and-mortar at 5421 South Tacoma Way that just opened last summer, the couple has been known to loyal fans and fellow local business owners as ones to emulate.

Carter “approached every being with warmth, care, and humility,” wrote Field Bar’s Brian Hibbard on Instagram. “He was adored by every person who had the privilege of being around his magical glow and presence.”

Added local chef Jan Parker, who first met the couple as a fellow farmers market vendor, “Witnessing and through experience, both Daniel and Jake did much work beyond Howdy Bagel that extended out into our community. Jake was one of the most nicest and caring humans. ... Howdy Bagels are dynamite bagels, but the love that Jake and Daniel put into their bagels and team is like no other. You’ll be terribly missed Jake.”

Even strangers recognized his kindness; as one local noted on the Tacoma Reddit page, “I first started going to Howdy Bagel when it was a stand at the Proctor Farmers Market. I don’t know how he could have remembered me, but Jacob always acted like he did — such a warm, genuine person.”

Speaking candidly on video on her business page, Hailey Hernandez of Side Piece Kitchen noted the uncanny connection that can develop with followers and fellow entrepreneurs whose personal lives are inextricably tied to their professional ones. “It’s a weird bond that you can’t explain, and there are a handful of businesses in Tacoma that have done things in a similar route — being very public with it, sharing their own authentic selves,” she said. “You just feel, like, connected to those businesses — to those people — in a really unique way.”

Howdy Bagel sent them flowers with a handwritten card from another South Tacoma business, The Fernseed, on their soft-opening weekend, she recalled.

She encouraged her followers to divert money they might have spent on biscuits this week to Howdy Bagel’s GoFundMe.

“The shop will be closed temporarily as we all navigate this time of grief,” the request online and posted to Instagram Jan. 7 reads. “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.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2024 at 5:14 PM.