Tacoma shows up for Howdy Bagel’s reopening. ‘We wanted them to see that we’re here’
As it was before, the dozens of people queued outside the aqua-blue storefront at 5421 South Tacoma Way on Wednesday morning waited patiently. A shimmer of pink and orange hung between stripes of blue sky and white clouds as the temperature inched toward 40 degrees. The occasional laugh, wrapped in a whisper of anxiety, lifted the hushed conversations among strangers.
The clock turned toward 8. An employee, clad in a Howdy Bagel ball cap, appeared in the doorway, turning the lock and lightly pushing open the door.
The greeting was, “Good morning.”
Howdy Bagel reopened Feb. 7, baking off hundreds of bagels for the first time this year and the first time since co-founder Jacob Carter’s death one month prior, almost to the day.
The memory of Carter, who was killed Jan. 5 in New Orleans while traveling with his husband and business partner Daniel Blagovich, hung like a dense fog between the peachy walls and cheeky cowboy wallpaper. On the vintage butcher block table that centers the shop, usually stacked with Howdy Bagel wares and cooking staples since its debut last summer, now sat two bouquets, photos of Carter, a memory book and a pen. Staff, who had been re-acclimating to the space themselves as they returned for prep work in recent days, appeared calm — measured but focused. A smile escaped here and there.
In an Instagram post announcing the reopening just Monday afternoon, Blagovich thanked the community for its patience and support through a period of immense grief.
“Thank you for your generosity and continual kindness as we all learn to find hope again,” he wrote. “I really appreciate your tenderness and patience as we learn how to do this without Jake.”
Shaynedonovan Elliott arrived around 6:15 a.m. to be the day’s first customer. He wanted to show support to Blagovich, his staff and the bagels that he has been enjoying since the business’s earliest days as a mobile vendor at the Proctor Farmers Market.
Saracristina Garcia arrived just before 7 a.m. to be the day’s third customer. While waiting for her order, she echoed that sentiment of support.
“They make an amazing product, but what they’ve created here with the people and the atmosphere is really special and needed,” she said, referencing Howdy’s dedication, as a queer-owned business, to inclusivity. “With everything that’s going on in the world today, and in Tacoma, people are feeling unsafe, and this place feels safe. It’s really important in my eyes to have a place like this where people are smiling and happy. You see someone waiting on the street — they’re smiling and happy and talking to the people next to them — that’s contagious.”
Her wife had to work this morning, but she was patched into Garcia’s phone. “She wanted to be a part of it,” she said.
Sporting shorts despite the early-morning chill, Roland Barnes said he and his wife Amanda decided to wake up early to ensure Blagovich and staff know that Tacomans see what Howdy Bagel means to the city, and that their patrons “know how much effort and love they put into it,” added Amanda. “And of course, the bagels are great.”
A steady stream of customers kept the line about the same length until almost 10 a.m. As it was before, an employee emerged at least three times with a tray of mini cups of complimentary hot coffee.
Wiping away a tear, Kathryn Jones-Porter said she and her mother Mickey Jones got up this morning to join the cause. “We wanted them to see that we’re here and we’ll support them through whatever happens next. When you don’t know someone, it can be awkward to express that appreciation and value that they hold. This is how they can show support. It’s not weird to buy a bagel at a bagel shop.”
At one point, Daniel’s mother walked outside and began hugging everyone in line. “Thank you for being here,” she said. By 11, the business shared on Instagram that the stock had dwindled to about 250 bagels. Within two hours, it was just 75, and by 1:20 p.m. that was that.
Howdy Bagel gear left the store in droves, too: T-shirts, Miir travel mugs, postcards and cute little enamel pins. A few customers carried out their brown-paper bags of rosemary sea salts and poppyseeds, lemon-dill cream cheese and bacon, egg and cheeses in canvas totes emblazoned with a green sketch of the storefront and the motto, “Enjoy Tacoma Style Bagels.”
Staff politely declined interviews. They moved through the space, seemingly missing no beats, chatting with customers as they picked up their coffee and occasionally popping out from behind the counter to say “hello” and “thanks for coming by” to a friend they caught in the entryway.
As the late-morning sun peeked through the streetside windows, the air felt, maybe, a little bit lighter.
Howdy Bagel will operate on limited hours for now, Wednesday-Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (or sell out, with coffee service until close). Visit instagram.com/howdybagel for updates.
This story was originally published February 7, 2024 at 3:14 PM.