March 17, 2005
When Bagelman's Bakery and Deli closed for good last week, the last chance to get a taste of a real New York-style bagel went with it.
I ought to know — what coffee is to a caffeine addict, bagels are to me. I lived off the Atkins-challenged food during my time in New York.
But by losing Bagelman's, St. Cloud lost more than just a bagel store. It lost a store that was unique to Central Minnesota, and it lost it to a chain store competitor.
"Many new restaurants, along with Panera across from us, were direct competition," said Jill Herr, a St. Cloud resident who owned Bagelman's with Pete Hansen of Rockville. "Bagelman's was squeezed out of the market," she said.
Indeed, Panera Bread's opening in March 2004 was the death knell for the store. Herr said the chain hurt business at Bagelman's, and the store never made it out of the slump.
"These chain restaurants have much deeper pockets than we do," she said. "They can withstand the ups and downs that small businesses cannot."
Bagelman's opened as Chesapeake Bagel Bakery in 1995, and in 1997 the store was sold and the name changed to Bagelman's Bakery and Deli. Herr and Hansen bought the store in December 2000. They sold it in 2003 and got it back on default in August 2004.
The future looks uncertain for the store's owners. Though they plan to take their recipes with them, Herr said they have no plans to open another bagel store anytime soon.
That's a shame for St. Cloud. In the area's lust to embrace the "next big thing," the little guy got lost in the lurch. And there's a lot to be said for the little guy.
Even as the store closed, Herr didn't focus on herself. She thought about her regular customers.
"I feel the worst for the regulars because they appreciated the service," Herr said. "Knowing an order when someone walks in, knowing people's names — that can't be duplicated by larger chains. We said more than 'Hi, here's your order, bye.'"
And they went beyond that. I showed up well past closing a few times, and they'd come to the door and let me in, buttered bagel at the ready. They'd try to persuade me to break out of my banana-nut bagel with butter habit, usually without success. They were the type of people who made sure they hugged each and every one of their regulars on closing day. But just remembering me was the big thing.
That's what makes small businesses tick: customer service.
At the store's chain competitors, I've been turned away at the door five minutes after the sign says they are closed. I've gotten every variation of my name spelled on the receipt, from "Wasygn" to "Waseen."
Many from the team of 12 that worked at Bagelman's will be looking for jobs.
Potential employers should know that when they see Bagelman's Bakery and Deli listed under previous jobs, they are hiring the gold standard in customer service. The friendliness of the staff at Bagelman's was unequaled.
Large chains and big-box stores bring with them business and jobs, this is true. And there's plenty of tasty food available, too. I'm sure some places even have people who can remember names.
But when that large store comes at the expense of a small business, it's hard not to feel a pang of guilt. When a unique small business dies, a part of the town's character is eroded.
As for me, I'll be supporting another small store to get my bagels: My hometown bagel store in New York ships fresh bagels anywhere nationwide.
Bagelman's was truly a taste of New York in Central Minnesota, and it's a shame that I'll actually have to import my bagels from New York. It's a lot harder than driving down the street.
I'll keep importing them, at least until someone decides to open up another small-town bagel shop. Any takers?
Wasim Ahmad is a copy editor at the St. Cloud Times. His column is published the third Thursday of the month. E-mail him at wahmad@stcloudtimes.com.
© 2005 St. Cloud Times, St. Cloud, Minn.