‘Continuing Jake’s love and light.’ Tacoma’s Howdy Bagel will reopen this week
Howdy Bagel, whose 32-year-old co-founder was fatally shot in New Orleans last month, will reopen with modified hours on Feb. 7, the company announced on Instagram Monday afternoon.
Daniel Blagovich, Carter’s husband and co-creator of the revered Tacoma bagel shop that opened its storefront last summer, signed the note posted just before 4 p.m.
“I am still reeling with grief, confusion, and a vast array of emotions I didn’t know I was capable of feeling,” wrote Blagovich. “I have lost the best part of my life — my partner in life and in business. Sweet Jacob was my absolute everything.”
He admitted that the prospect of reopening the business, which was closed for a holiday break at the beginning of the year, seemed all but impossible since Jan. 5.
Carter was killed in the Marigny neighborhood early that morning while the couple was on vacation. Details surrounding his death remain unclear, as official police reports have confirmed only that it is being investigated as a homicide. Per the medical examiner’s report, a handgun was likely the weapon. A 16-year-old suspect was arrested Jan. 12 on suspicion of second-degree murder and appeared in court Jan. 18 to determine whether the case would proceed in juvenile or adult court. Lawyers agreed to continue the hearing to a later date in February, according to local news reports.
Beginning on Sunday, Jan. 7, when Howdy Bagel publicly shared the news, a memorial of flowers, cards, pink teddy bears and a white cowboy hat blossomed outside the shop’s double doors at 5421 South Tacoma Way.
News of Carter’s death ricocheted around social media — not just among bagel fans but also of the queer community, of which Carter and Blagovich were a proud part. It reached beyond the South Sound and Washington state: New Orleans media followed the story closely, along with reports in LGBTQ+ publications and outlets in Carter’s hometown of College Station, Texas.
Carter is remembered as a generous person whose spirit carried a magnetism that made interactions feel special. On a memorial page created by his family, friends from childhood through college and into his adulthood in Seattle, where he moved to work for a refugee resettlement program in his 20s, recalled his endearing laughter and infectious candor.
In Tacoma, local restaurants and businesses rallied in support of Howdy Bagel, sending donations and hosting fundraisers for a GoFundMe that, also through thousands of individual donations, as of Feb. 5 accrued more than $300,000. Its intent was to allow Blagovich and his staff the time and space to determine how, or if, to restart.
There, Blagovich expressed thanks to “everyone who has helped us up and cared for us so generously during this time.”
The funds allowed him, their families and employees “to take time and space this past month to reflect on the life of sweet Jacob, and begin to navigate a path forward for ourselves and the shop during this unimaginable time … Jake was the heartbeat of Howdy and all that our little shop stands for. This has made it very difficult to imagine Howdy moving forward without him.”
Blagovich did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on Monday.
“Right now as I continue to look for the light, y’all have been so incredibly kind and supportive in ways I never could have imagined,” he wrote on Instagram Feb. 5. “Your patience and understanding has allowed the Howdy staff and I to take time and space as we try to navigate how to move forward. Thank you for your generosity and continual kindness as we all learn to find hope again.”
Starting Feb. 7, Howdy Bagel will operate 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
This story was originally published February 5, 2024 at 6:40 PM.