We, (The Smiths), loaded up the truck and moved to Grand Junction from Santa Cruz, California in the spring of '95. The goal was to open a bagel shop that was ahead of its time and a cut above the rest in a town that at the time was a little slower and laid back than the hip foodie haven of Santa Cruz. Blessed with the perfect location in an historic building on an awesome corner of Main Street, complete with a fountain patio in Grand Junction’s historic downtown, we tweaked and put to work the fabulous bagel recipes provided by John Hamstra of Santa Cruz’s popular bagel bakery, “The Bagelry”!
We opened in August 1995 with bagels, bagel sandwiches, bialys, cookies, scones, coffee, espresso, authentic Indian Masala chai made from scratch, and fresh squeezed juices. We were extremely happy with the response of the community! The crowds were wonderfully confirming. Over the next few years we studied artisan bread making and pastries with some of the world’s best bakers. (Thanks go out to Gayle’s Bakery in Capitola, CA, Beckmann's Old World Bakery in Santa Cruz, CA, and Craig Ponsford of Artisan Bakers in Sonoma, CA.)
Over the years we have added other baked goods to our menu, such as new bagel varieties, artisan breads, superb cinnamon rolls, Danish, biscotti, brioche, croissants, sticky buns, and really great granola. Of course, having added artisan breads we just had to expand our sandwich menu beyond traditional bagel sandwiches. We also added soups, salads and smoothies. After a few years we expanded into the adjoining building in order to provide ample seating, a conference room, an art gallery and a children’s play area.
Our family and our staff have thoroughly enjoyed serving our community and our many traveling guests for these first 23 years and we look forward to many more years of serving our community, meeting new acquaintances and the surprises to come.
