A Local's Taste Of Home

Who knew that ordering a breakfast as simple as a bagel could quickly become what you look forward to most every morning? Well, for the locals in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, this is their normal. On a corner of Main Street, stands a tiny building. Windows surround its entirety like wrapping paper with red bricks covering the remainder. Chic gold letters spell out Bloomin' Bagels above the main door. In 2010 the Bloomin' Bagels business began. Owner Don Harris argues, “The recipe we have is an art." A meal that reminds you of home is something very special to find while out of town.

Main entrance Of Bloomin' Bagels

As soon as you walk in the door, a wave of warm air hits you in the face. The smell of freshly baked homemade bread fills the room. You're immediately greeted with, "Hello, welcome in," from an employee in the back of the store. The room is bright from the sun peeking in the windows creating a very welcoming space. Three employees move quickly behind the counter, trying to keep the line moving. Customers are in and out at all times of the day like a revolving door. Every worker wears a regular t-shirt reading "Bloomin' Bagels" on the top left corner. A white apron is wrapped around their waste with all hair pulled back completely out of their face. You spot wobbly grey tables directly on the right from the entrance with chairs just big enough for you to fit on. To the left sit two glass fridges holding every juice imaginable. As you continue walking through the narrow shoebox of a store your eyes meet with an enlarged menu all the way up to the ceiling. The cream cheese spreads are displayed in a showcase where customers can watch their bagels being made as if it was a show. The counters glisten where a young woman or man stand behind the register always prepared to take orders.

Display Of Cream Cheese Showcase

Side View Off Main Street

A man is sitting down at the table opening his bag of food ready to dive in. His head is so pearly it could blind you, and his beard trims the outer layer of his face. His knees are almost touching the top of the table because of how tall he is. Next to him on the floor his backpack lays with mud stains matching the ones on his shoes. In complete silence, he scarfed his food down and gave some bites to a little girl on his right. Her feet were dangling off the edge of the chair, and you could barely see the top of her head if you were just walking in. Her bright blonde hair and piercing blue eyes widened as she took a nibble out of the bagel. Cream cheese residue was left on her cheeks as her dad wiped it off giggling with a napkin. 

Full Layout Of Shop
From Main Entrance

The door opened quickly, and a young lady came rushing inside. Her frantic energy caught herself attention to the rest of the store, causing people to look up. Catching her breath, she stood behind a woman twice her age. Her long red hair got stuck in her mouth with every deep breath she took. She pulled her hand out of the pocket from her blue jeans and said in a frantic tone, “Picking up please." As she stood in the corner of the room her foot tapped rapidly on the floor, while picking up her phone every fifteen seconds to check the time. She fixed her half-zipped backpack as her order was called and quickly exited the store.

In line an elderly woman waits with long, silver-like hair just above her waist. She fidgets with her hair, trying to unstick the strands sticking to the lip gloss on her face. Her eyes are dropping as she locks eyes with the worker behind the counter.

Mackenzie goes up to the register and asks,"Good morning, how are you?" no differently from any other employee.

The woman pauses, taking her time, and eventually replies, "I'm doing well, thank you. How is your day going?" Fidgeting through her purse, she takes her wallet out, so she is prepared to pay.

"Great! Thank you. What can I get for you?" Mackenzie asks while fixing her apron and turning on the register.

The woman smiles and proceeds to ask, "Can I please get a bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted everything bagel, as well as a chocolate chip bagel toasted with cream cheese?" While continuing to ramble on about how these are her two favorite items on the menu.

"Of course! Yes, those are both our most popular items," Mackenzie answered while laughing. She continues, "Can I get anything else for you today?" as she engages with the customer.

"Nope! That should do it for today. Thank you!" the older woman says as she walks away.

According to Mackenzie, a fourth-year employee, and Don Harris, the owner, a classic bacon, egg, and cheese and a bagel with cream cheese are the two main best sellers. All the breakfast sandwiches are made on the grill. Nothing is pre-made or put in a microwave. They use boar's head meats and farm fresh eggs making customers love the cozy comfort feeling you get when biting into the sandwich. The most popular spread is the chocolate chip cream cheese. People rave about the perfect amount of sweetness. The creamy consistency with the perfect crunch that explodes with a chocolaty flavor.

Top Picture: Bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel
Bottom Picture: Chocolate chip bagel with chocolate chip cream cheese

Don Harris is a middle-aged man who has masterminded running a bagel business. He stands around six feet tall but technically five foot ten because he hunches down. His hair is brunette turning grey but is covered with a blue baseball hat. He's wearing a worn-out grey t-shirt with black basketball shorts going past his knees and regular new balance dad shoes. Don has been in the bagel industry since college all starting in northern New Jersey. He started working for a family to help run their tiny local business and a couple of years later moved up to management positions. Running the stores took time and commitment but was something he truly fell in love with. The youngest son offered him the chance to move to Pennsylvania to expand their business and see how far it could go. Don took this opportunity and never looked back. He describes this moment and notes, "I took this opportunity as a dream come true. I loved working in a business atmosphere. The environment made me super involved where I began to love the idea of seeing how far it could grow," while nodding his head up and down and from side to side.

Don Harris- Bloomin' Bagels Owner

He came up with the grand idea to open a shop of his own. Don expresses, “It was a learning experience to say the least," while looking down at the table. He talks in a mumble way chopping up his sentences never finishing the entirety of his words. They bought the building and completely renovated the whole thing. Don explains, “It was a real dump, so we knocked it to the ground and redid it," shaking his head from side to side again. The biggest challenge with the whole process was finally building the store. He raises his eyebrows and reaches his hands out as if he was inviting you somewhere muttering, "I was young, taking a big risk and putting a lot on the line. I wasn’t a guy who had 900 businesses where I had the money to make it or fail. This was like if you didn’t make it, you're in big trouble.” He confidently reinforced that he knew this business and what it had to offer. Don's confidence radiates off him. He repetitively rambles on about how much his business means to him and made sure to mention that every person who does business with him or who is a manager of a store all have been an employee first. When the conversation is over, he brings up something different, so he has an excuse to talk about again.

He notes that the process of how you make the bagels is the most important thing. Anyone can get the recipe but how you prepare and bake the bagels is what makes it so special. The recipe is passed down by three generations from the Bronx of New York. Don harshly states, “This is the recipe you need,” while pointing his finger on the table. He continues, “The recipe we have is an art,” in a firm tone. He elaborates on his business about how serious he cares about customer service mentioning, "Sure you can't make everyone happy but the bottom line is if you can make 95% of them happy and they comment that it's really good then you're doing something right," still stuttering to get his words out. He expresses how much the employees go above and beyond to keep this place running. Frequent customers order and before they leave rant about how great the customer service is. The staff members work hard to keep the quality and service good by having multiple team meetings to fix any problems that occur.

As don continues to ramble, he mentions a recent interaction with some customers. Less than a year ago they revamped certain areas of the shop and an older couple came up to Don while he was fixing a shelf to comment on how much they loved it there. The couple are both retired and like to travel for fun going places all over the country. Specifically they complimented how much they love the shop. Don is smiling excited to continue with the story and states, "The couple said there was not another place like that in the entire country," making sure to repeat that twice.

For locals, Bloomin' Bagels is more than an average bagel shop. It is a place that provides comfort. From the moment you walk in, to the time you walk out hearing someone shout, “Have a great day," gives you a sense of belonging. Today, it is hard to find a place that feels like home, but luckily for the town of Bloomsburg, Bloomin' Bagels has taken that role.

Visit them here!