A Connecticut-born bagel chain known for its tear-apart, dip-it-yourself approach is setting up shop at Mountain Farms in Hadley, marking its first location west of Boston. PopUp Bagels plans to open the new shop at 7 South Maple St., Suite 20, with a grand opening celebration running from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.
The opening weekend festivities will include a live DJ and merchandise giveaways, according to MassLive. Shoppers will also get a taste of a limited-time spiced apple cider schmear, available only while supplies last during opening weekend, per the same report. The event mirrors the brand's broader playbook of pairing new store debuts with festive, limited-run flavors, something the chain also did for a recent Times Square opening, as Forbes reported.
PopUp Bagels was founded by Adam Goldberg in Westport, Connecticut, and built its name on a simple gimmick: bagels served hot and whole, meant to be torn apart and dipped into a weekly rotating menu of schmears rather than sliced into sandwiches. The company's own location page for the Hadley shop describes bagels with a crispy crust and soft crumb center, and notes the brand began as a backyard pickup window where Goldberg shared a newly created bagel recipe with friends, according to PopUp Bagels.
A Growing Footprint Across Massachusetts
Before setting its sights on Hadley, PopUp Bagels had already established a presence in the Boston area, with shops in Boston's Seaport neighborhood, Cambridge and Assembly Row in Somerville, per MassLive's reporting. The Hadley opening represents the chain's first push into western Massachusetts, putting it in the orbit of UMass Amherst and the broader Five College region via Mountain Farms, the outdoor shopping and dining center along Route 9 that's also home to retailers like Whole Foods Market, Barnes & Noble, L.L.Bean, Old Navy and Panera Bread.
The bagel chain has built a following for its stripped-down approach and its habit of teaming up with chefs, food brands and culinary personalities on limited-edition schmear flavors. The company also touts that it has won Brooklyn Bagelfest's “Best Bagel” two years in a row, according to its own location page for the Hadley store.
Backing From Big Names And A National Push
PopUp Bagels has drawn attention well beyond its bagel case. MassLive reports that the chain's investors include Paul Rudd, Michael Phelps, Michael Strahan and J.J. Watt. Forbes has reported the company was valued at $300 million following a 2026 investment from Tiber Global, and at the time of that report it counted eight locations in New York City along with shops on Long Island and in cities including Tampa, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
That national expansion has included high-profile debuts, such as a Times Square shop at 1501 Broadway that Forbes said would open on Friday, Oct. 16, featuring a Cheesecake Strawberry Schmear and an Everything but the Pastrami Butter made in collaboration with Katz's Delicatessen. The Hadley opening, by comparison, is a far smaller-scale affair, but it brings the same tear-and-dip format to a Pioneer Valley audience for the first time.
