Almost a year after Bagel City was first notified it would have to move out to make way for a Walmart, the popular bagel place and deli has a new lease.
The shop has been in its 12119 Rockville Pike location just south of the Rockville city boundary for more than 30 years, enough to generate plenty of support from the community when the big box store issue came up before the County Council last November.
A few months ago, JBG Co., the developer set on redeveloping Pike Center around an 80,000-square-foot Walmart, advised tenants that it was selling the property to Houston-based Weingarten Realty.
Weingarten took over management this month, Bagel City got a two-year lease and Director of Operations Stephanie Kavadoy said there’s been talk of a seven-year lease in the future.
“One year later, the picture looks a lot better,” said Kavadoy, whose father George owns eatery. “We had a lot of sleepless nights for at least six months. It was a big weight off our shoulders.”
Customers often call in, curious to see if Bagel City is still around, Kavadoy said, especially around the Jewish High Holiday season. The restaurant provides a catering service to go along with its bagel production and deli items.
For now, it’s safe.
The new property owner indicated it might pursue development on the wings of the shopping center, according to Kavadoy.
“We still know things might change in the future because if you want to have a business with surface parking like we have, it’s very rare on Rockville Pike and not part of the future plans,” Kavadoy said. “Right now, this is where we’ve existed for 30 years and this is the best option for us.
“I believe it happened because of the loyal customers and the community,” Kavadoy said.
