ORIGIN: Popup Bagels was founded by Adam Goldberg during the…read moreheight of the pandemic, when Goldberg explored bread baking. Initially sharing with friends and family, the Connecticut resident started selling via popups and pickups in New York and Connecticut. You would think New York already had a good source of bagels, but after its first stand-alone location opened in 2021, momentum developed and other storefronts were initiated in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. LOCATION: This Popup Bagels is located in a shopping plaza in suburban Newtown, Connecticut. CONCEPT: Compared to other bagel shops, Popup Bagels a limited number of bagel flavors (plain, salt, everything, poppy, sesame) and tubs of weekly-changing flavors of butter and cream cheese (such as martini cream cheese and lemon butter) in addition to those regularly available (such as scallion cream cheese). Sandwiches are not prepared for customers -- they are encouraged to "grip, rip, and dip" bagels into their chosen Schmear. ATMOSPHERE: The interior is crisply designed with a modern feel. SERVICE: From an investment perspective, the concept is brilliantly efficient. Limited hours (7-noon Wednesday and Thursday, 7-1 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), limited choices, no sandwich/beverage prep, and online ordering encouraged, make the service efficient from both effort and material perspective. FOOD: Compared to other bagel shops the bagels are attractively packaged with open totes, inviting the aroma of the bagels to greet the customer. The exterior is covered by the topping, rather than sprinkled. The bagel is crisp and chewy on the exterior, but fluffy in the interior. In addition, tubs of smoked fish-based spreads are available. TIPS: The chain is expanding into Southern California. On Thursdays Schmear flavors change. The flavors are announced on Popup Bagels website. Although pre-orders are welcomed to ensure your pick, the online system does demand a minimum of a dozen are purchased. Ordering in person allows a three bagel minimum. The company recommends running water over the bagels, and placing in a preheated 350 degree oven for six minutes to crisp the exterior. Note the shop closes at noon on weekdays, 1 o'clock on weekends.

We've heard so much hype about PopUp, so we drove down to Newtown to pick up a half dozen. Super…read morequick, but we wish the guy behind the counter had been a bit friendlier. The bagels were warm, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and the scallion cream cheese "schmear" was tasty. I liked the rip and dip idea. We would put them in our top 5 in CT! We'll be back to try more of their schmear specials!

I'm a fan of cottage bakers and supporting the local small businesses. Cottage bakers are popping…read moreup everywhere and I'm all for it. I found Dough Mama on FB and had to check them out. I placed an order on their website earlier in the week for pickup. They also offer cookies, sourdough bread, and more. I opted for the $15 cheddar cheese and jalapeno sourdough bread. Picking up was easy, there was a cute setup on their porch. My name was labeled on it and the packaging was the cutest. The sourdough was delicious; I like to toast mine and add some avocado on it before eating it. If you're in the area, I highly recommend placing an order! I think you can just go on Saturday mornings to the stand also (check their website and social media for updates). Overall, definitely another great cottage baker!

I just got a bag from these people for the Demolition Derby at the 3 County Fair. I was the 100th…read morecustomer. I expected it to be too sweet like many bags I have gotten in the past and thought i would eat a few kernels and give it to my son. Nope. This was the best Kettle Corn I have ever had in life and will get a few bags tomorrow. It's not too sweet and holds the corn flavour. Nothing is lost. It is a true a pure melding of the flavours that still allows the popcorn flavour stand first. It's perfect! Seriously, I was not prepared for this stuff.

Good Kettle corn and Caramel corn!…read more It is always fresh and delicious!!! Whenever I am jonesing for fresh caramel corn I can go there on the weekends and find them cooking up a steamy fresh batch. Awesome flavor and the kernels are HUGE!

Best place for beautiful Native made and designed clothing, home decor, artwork, and culturally…read moresignificant items. Also the nicest people ever. All at reasonable prices.

From the owner: A company unique in name that stays true to its roots, featuring inspired goods…read more such as custom apparel, accessories, all-natural candle & soap collections, jewelry, bags, incense kits, hand-crafted wall art/ sculptures & "Spotlight" features one-of-a-kind, Indigenous-inspired creations!

A friendly, CLEAN, welcoming place to grab an amazing breakfast sandwich. Everything is delicious…read moreand I can not stress enough how clean and relaxing the atmosphere is.

I am a person who enjoys supporting the small mom and pops but this particular place is a Gem they…read moreuse to be the owners of Johnnys Cafe in Waterbury I was saddened when they decided to close and to walk into this place and see familiar people who were Johnnys I was greatly excited to see them made my day and told my daughter and we are going for breakfast tomorrow again my granddaughter would be excited also because she was a fan of Johnnys this will be 3 generations of women going here to eat again. Be on the lookout I will be back. Support this small business.

Great chocolate, great people, great music playing. Can not recommend enough…read more Yes, its pricey, we can get that over with. But the product is absolutely worth it

My shopping experience at Chokaico in the Riverdale Shops was first class. Chokaico is a gorgeous…read morespecialty chocolate shop, specializing in single origin beans for chocolate, bonbons, truffles, hot cocoa and bars. They also have coffee and I think frozen treats. I didn't catch his name, but I think the owner helped me. He certainly had the pride of an owner. He was top tier friendly, engaging and helpful. He said he is from Ecuador and many of the beans used in the chocolate come from Ecuador. This was one of the best customer service experiences I've had this year. Any type of business. Before buying a bunch of holidays gifts, I tried a number of chocolate samples. They were obviously very high quality. There were a number of artistic chocolate pieces. Like one in the shape of a high heel shoe. I had a black iced coffee that was very good. I love Chokaico. They have my high recommendation. 5 Stars