BY MAUREEN PARKER for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 9/4/2026
If you want to know what love, local support, tenacity, and heart look like, look no further than Howdy Bagel, located at 5421 South Tacoma Way.
I have driven by this place several times during the week, and I can almost guarantee you there’s going to be a line out the door every time. And everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, is absolutely happy to be there and wait for the tasty treat at the end of that line.
They’re quick, proficient, friendly, and welcoming AF at this place. And guess what? I’m gonna tell you why right now.
Owner and operator Daniel Blagovich opened this amazing space in May 2023 with his husband, Jacob “Jake” Carter. Both shared a love of cooking, and Jake came from a family with a restaurant background in Texas. Before Howdy Bagel became the brick-and-mortar spot we know today, the two spent a couple of years at farmers markets, getting a feel for running a small business and building something of their own.
During the pandemic, they also started delivering freshly baked bagels door-to door.
Which, come on, was genius.
At a time when getting outside was restricted, everything felt uncertain, and we were all trying to figure out what the hell was happening from one day to the next, having fresh bagels show up at your door sounds like a little piece of heaven.
That commitment to community carried over into the business itself. Howdy uses fresh ingredients from local farms and vendors whenever possible, which means supporting one local business helps support other local businesses.
Win-win.
From the beginning, Daniel and Jake wanted Howdy Bagel to be warm, welcoming, and inclusive: a place where anyone walking through the door could feel comfortable.
And then they had the nerve to make the food tasty, hearty, and filling, too.
Daniel also walks around with one of the greatest smiles I’ve seen in a very long time. I told him he had a Pepsodent smile, and of course he had no idea what the hell I was talking about. So naturally, I told him he hadda look it up!
Listen, I can’t help everybody.
Daniel’s background in construction also came in handy when it was time to create the new space. He and Jake were able to put a lot of themselves into building Howdy, and that experience continues to be useful because, as anyone who has ever owned a business knows, something is always going to need fixing, replacing, adjusting, or figuring out.
One thing I had to ask was whether Daniel had plans to expand.
Right now?
That’s a no, lol.
And honestly, I absolutely love that. There is something unique about the space they have created. The size works. The staff works. The atmosphere works. Sometimes, when something has its own special energy, recreating it somewhere else just because you can isn’t necessary.
If it ain’t broke …
But the story of Howdy Bagel changed dramatically only six months after the shop opened when Jake passed away.
Daniel suddenly found himself facing something he had never planned for: not only grieving the loss of his husband and partner, but also figuring out how to continue running the business they had created together.
Howdy closed for about a month after Jake’s death.
And then Daniel came back. The community came back with him. There is something incredibly inspirational about watching someone continue to show up for a dream and mission that was created by two people when suddenly only one of them is physically there to carry it forward.
Daniel didn’t come into this with years of experience as an owner-operator, and he certainly didn’t plan on having to learn how to do it alone. But watching him grow into that role is watching someone find purpose while having to pivot through unimaginable pain and loss.
And he’ll be the first to acknowledge that he hasn’t done it completely alone.
Staff, family, friends, and the community have surrounded him with love and support, giving him room to grieve while also being there when he needed them. That kind of support matters, especially when the business you’re trying to keep going holds memories of the person you built it with.
Daniel told me there was never some huge end goal attached to Howdy Bagel.
And I understood exactly what he meant.
This was their baby.
They weren’t creating something with the idea of opening it, building it up, selling it, and moving on to the next thing. Daniel and Jake wanted to be active participants in Howdy’s success. They wanted to be there. They wanted to know the people coming through the doors, make the food, build the relationships, and be part of the community surrounding them.
That part hasn’t changed.
Howdy Bagel is now part of the continued growth of the South Tacoma Way business district, and businesses like this are exactly why watching this area develop is so exciting.
Yes, people are standing in line for bagels.
But they’re also standing in line for something that feels local. Something with personality. Something built with intention.
Something built with love.
Consistency and meaningful service are essential for longevity, and Howdy Bagel seems to understand both. What Daniel and Jake started together continues to bring warmth, comfort, good food, and a whole lot of heart to Tacoma.
And when I look at that line outside the door, the staff inside, the smiles, the community support, and Daniel still standing there with that Pepsodent smile he now knows he needs to Google, I see a bright future for this little business on South Tacoma Way.
Howdy Bagel started with two people and a dream.
The dream had to change.
But it didn’t end.
