A viral bagel chain that got its start handing sourdough-style bagels out of a Connecticut backyard window is opening its first Northeast Ohio storefront in Woodmere. PopUp Bagels has added signage to a shop window at Eton Chagrin Boulevard, confirming plans to move into 28879 Chagrin Boulevard, the former home of Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan.
Company representatives confirmed the new Woodmere shop to Cleveland.com, though an official opening date has not yet been announced. The chain, which began in the metropolitan New York area, sells its bagels whole rather than sliced, requiring customers to buy a minimum of three per order. There are no sandwiches, no toasting, and no assembly line — just a bag of hot bagels and tubs of schmear meant for tearing and dipping, a style the company itself calls “rip and dip.”
What's Actually On the Menu
The classic lineup includes plain and scallion cream cheese, salted butter, and brown sugar cinnamon butter, according to the same Cleveland.com report. PopUp Bagels also rotates in flavors like scallion, dirty martini, banana bread, hot honey butter, and matcha schmear, giving regulars a reason to keep coming back even without a sandwich menu to explore. The whole concept leans on a minimalist, grab-and-go footprint — Entrepreneur reported in August 2025 that PopUp Bagels operates out of spaces as small as 1,100 to 1,400 square feet, skipping dining tables and toasters entirely to keep lines moving and labor costs down.
An Upscale Address for a Cult-Favorite Brand
Eton Chagrin Boulevard, where the new bagel shop is headed, is a 313,256-square-foot luxury open-air lifestyle center developed by Stark Enterprises along Chagrin Boulevard. The property's leasing records show a tenant roster that includes Apple, Tiffany & Co., Vuori, and lululemon, plus a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area that lets shoppers carry drinks through the common outdoor space. It's a high-end backdrop for a brand that built its name on backyard bagel drops rather than storefronts.
PopUp Bagels representatives could not confirm to Cleveland.com whether additional Ohio locations are in the works, leaving open whether Woodmere is a one-off test or the start of a broader push into the state. The company's national trajectory suggests more could follow: Food Business News has reported that PopUp Bagels is planning an expansion to more than 300 stores across several states, and Fast Casual reported in July 2025 that the chain had signed multi-unit franchise agreements aiming for 100 open locations by the end of 2027.
From Backyard Window to National Franchise
Founder Adam Goldberg has said PopUp Bagels started in 2020 as a pandemic home-baking project in Westport, Connecticut, where he distributed sourdough-style bagels to neighbors through a backyard window, according to an interview published by CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The brand's leadership has since professionalized considerably: Restaurant Business reported in November 2024 that PopUp Bagels hired former Moe's Southwest Grill chief brand officer Tory Bartlett as CEO to steer national rollouts, while Goldberg shifted into a Chief Brand Officer role. That same reporting noted the company's $8 million Series A round drew backing from celebrity investors including Paul Rudd, Michael Strahan, Michael Phelps, and J.J. Watt.
The brand's bagel-making chops have also drawn independent praise beyond social media buzz. Brooklyn Magazine reported that PopUp Bagels won both the People's Choice and Expert's Choice awards for Best Bagel at Brooklyn BagelFest in 2021 and 2022, beating out a field of established New York City bagel makers two years running.
Walking Into an Established Local Bagel Scene
Greater Cleveland already has its own decorated bagel institutions, and PopUp Bagels will be entering a market where loyalties run deep. Cleveland Scene reported in March 2021 that Food & Wine magazine named both Cleveland Bagel Co. and University Heights-based Bialy's Bagels among the 50 best bagel shops in America, a distinction that has helped both shops build lasting local followings. Whether Woodmere shoppers embrace a no-sandwich, three-bagel-minimum newcomer alongside those hometown favorites remains to be seen.
The bagel category itself is having a moment nationally. Nation's Restaurant News reported in June that Einstein Bros. Bagels plans to open 300 new bakeries by 2030 in a push to surpass 1,000 total locations, a sign that suburban retail corridors across the country are seeing renewed competition for breakfast dollars. PopUp Bagels has been riding that same wave into markets from Austin to Charlotte to the Twin Cities in recent months, and Woodmere now joins that growing list as its first stop in Northeast Ohio.
