Small Business Spotlight: Bagelz - Something's Always Cooking in South County
Walking into Bagelz Wickford for the first time, I thought to myself, why does my hometown not have something like this nearby. The smells of flavorful coffee, bagles and scones (just to name a few) filled the air and the comfy chairs and atmosphere was just what I had always wanted in a neighborhood cafe.
When Troy Reininger opened Bagelz Wickford in July of 2008, she breathed new life into the building that once housed Wickford Gourmet. "People loved that place. They still come in, looking around and saying, 'I remember when...'" Troy and her partner Scott, who runs a Bagelz store in Wakefield, and his mother, Nancy, who runs the store on URI campus in Kingston have brought more than "bagelz" and coffee to South County. They have brought a sense of community, offering free wi-fi and hosting meetings and events.Creating a warm, welcoming place for locals to "hang out" has been good for business. Local book clubs, knitting groups, and business people immediately "claimed" their regular weekly meeting times and spaces in the first floor rooms, and upstairs in the loft, which has couches, chairs, cafe tables, and even a gas-powered fireplace. Michelle Girasole, of TheSassyLadies.com, who moved to Wickford a month before Troy opened, hosts an open coffee for RINexus.com on the first Friday morning of each month, replicating the networking meeting that takes place bi-weekly in Providence for tech entrepreneurs. "Lots of local business people come in for breakfast or lunch with their laptops. I can't tell you how many meetings I have had here. It's a nice place to work and see familiar faces."
If you need a caffeine fix, they have coffee, tea, espresso, chai and more. They offer a wide range of pastries, scones, muffins, and bagelz, of course, baked fresh each morning. But Troy also serves up a large helping of community support, hanging local artwork on the walls, hosting an artisan craft fair for Mother's Day, open mike nights for local musicians in the summertime, and, this week, a Black Friday Gift Fair for local authors, artists and jewelry/craft makers. (Come in at 6am for a free small coffee with any food purchase before hitting the Wickford shops for good, local deals.) December is "cupcake month", with plans to offer after-school cupcake decorating workshops for children, and a "Cupcake Challenge" competition for North Kingstown High School students. "We're glad that Bagelz has become a place where people feel welcome. It's not just about eating and drinking. We have become a place where people like to be and be seen."
You can find them online at www.BagelzRI.com, and join them on Facebook and Twitter. Become a fan this week, and you may even win a free bacon and cheddar scone or chocolate cupcake! Oh, and did we mention Bagelz Wickford has FREE WI-FI. Yup! FREE! :)