After being temporarily located on Kirkwood Avenue for almost a year, Bloomington Bagel Co. has returned to its original location at 113 N. Dunn St.
"This week, we've had a lot of parents come in and say they are excited for their kids to come here because this is where they got bagels 20 years ago when they went to IU," said Nate Price-Pressloff, the general manager of BBC.
BBC moved to Kirkwood in November 2016 while the original building was undergoing construction.
After 20 years, the building sustained a broken oven and a leaking roof, Sue Aquila, BBC's owner, said. She said she felt it was time to tear down the original building.
It has now been replaced with the new BBC and a micro studio apartment complex named Dunnpark, also owned by Aquila. The complex is made up of 16 units above the bagel shop.
"We never imagined a successful 20-year run and neither did our equipment," Aquila said in a post on the BBC website.
The first BBC opened at this same location in 1996 when Aquila moved to Bloomington for graduate school and fell in love with the community, she said.
As BBC remains locally owned, everything on the building was designed and contracted by local companies, using local materials, Price-Pressloff said.
"Thank you to all the local builders for making this happen and to the community for your patience during this last year," Aquila said on the website. "It takes a village to improve the BBC, and thank you for being part of ours."
The new shop has a more open concept, featuring two large glass garage doors that open to outdoor seating as well as crimson and cream stripes on the wall. There is a rooftop patio overlooking Dunn Meadow that will be available to rent for events and will be open for residents of Dunnpark, Price-Pressloff said. Being brand new and so close to campus, this BBC location is expected to remain the busiest of the four shops.
BBC bagels were made at the original Dunn Street location. Since the shop's move to Kirkwood Avenue, production and catering services are now held at One World Commissary.
While there are discussions of expansion, the owners are focusing on their locally boiled bagels and Midwest service at their current locations, Price-Pressloff said.
