Illustration by Finley Hogan-Underdahl
Northfield is a wonderful city and has a lot to offer, but it has no bagels. It used to, and then Tandem Bagels left town, and if I could change anything about Northfield, I would bring it back — with a twist.
Bagels are universally delicious; there are so many flavors, and you can eat them for breakfast and lunch, or even as a snack. I’m not going to pretend to understand the economic decisions of businesses, but as evidence of the popularity of the bagel, I can say that I never went by Tandem Bagels and didn’t see a major line.
Clearly, having a bagel shop in Northfield would be awesome, and those like me who were Tandem loyalists surely would love to have a go-to place in town again. However, if I was really going crazy about changing Northfield, I would add a twist: have a bagel shop that sells books. I know that seems a little gimmicky — it is, and that’s awesome. Who doesn’t love a bookstore, with comfortable couches, lighting, and colorful shelves? It’s a great atmosphere to be in. Plus, we have already established that everyone loves bagels. I see no reason not to do both.
Barnes and Noble has a cafe in almost every store. People can grab a coffee, buy a book, and explore the shelves. I think it’s a great model. Some people go in just for books, some just for a bagel and coffee, and either way, people are in the store buying things and creating revenue.
Now, I do have to address the elephant in the room: what would happen to Content, the other bookstore in town? Content would stay and be just fine. Plenty of towns have more than one bookstore — again, I must remind you I’m not an economist — I see only the benefits of having more stores.
No matter whether this suggestion is reasonable or not, I think it’s fun to imagine what would make Northfield better. We can love our college town and still wish we had more options. You never know, maybe I could be inspiring someone to open Northfield’s first books and bagel store.
Alli Hering is from St. Paul, Minn.
Her majors are political science and social studies education.
Alli Hering is a senior social studies education and political science major from Apple Valley, MN. It is common to run into Alli outside or in the cage reading books instead of doing classwork. She also is a avid sports fan and loves trying new sports and activities! In the future, Alli hopes to combine her passion for writing and politics in the education realm.