Page 5 - BusinessWest August 7, 2023

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The West Springfield Tandem Bagel location was a key contributor to the redevelopment of the Town Commons complex downtown.
Staff Photo
It’s a local business that offers bagels of all kinds, with names and flavors ranging from Snickerdoodle to Wild Cheddar to French Toast, but also breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads, smoothies, coffee and iced coffee — a billboard promoting the company displays that product and invites people to “beat the heat” — and a lot more.
Indeed, its locations have become a place to gather and also a place to get some work done. Meanwhile, at least a few of the loca- tions, especially those in Easthampton and West Springfield, have had a significant impact on economic development and overall vibrancy in the communities where they’re located.
It all started with the goal of replicating the model — and success — of a bagel operation that Zawacki, an Easthampton native and mechanical engineer by trade, had observed while living for a time in the state of Washington. That goal has already been achieved, he said, adding that the question he hears, and answers, most often is, “where do we go from here?”
Continued growth is certainly in the forecast, he said, adding that he and others are considering several potential
landing spots, especially Westfield, where many
visitors to the Easthampton and West Spring-
field locations are from, as well as Springfield. He has looked at several locations in downtown Springfield but isn’t ready to pull the trigger just
yet.Overall, the company is focused on smart growth and expansion that makes sense, he said, adding that Tandem won’t grow for the sake of growth. And, overall, he’s not really sure where he wants this brand to be in five, 10, or 20 years.
“It took a lot to get where we are, so it will take a lot to get the next level,” he explained. “Things are going well, and for our employees, getting to that next level puts a lot of pressure on people. If we can go at a steady pace, treat our employees well, and expand in slow fashion that works for all, that’s fine with me.”
For this issue, BusinessWest looks at how Tandem Bagel has become a brand in the region as well as a force when it comes to economic development and helping to transform communities into destinations.
Spreading the Wealth
As noted earlier, Zawacki was working in Washington State in the late ’90s when he became acquainted with an individual who had retired and started a venture called Sunrise Bagels.
“We frequented it with our kids,” he recalled. “We thought he had a good product, a product that was different than what we had here. It was a neat business model — he had a lot of different varieties, 25 or 30 of them any given day.
“I got in touch with him and stayed in touch with him,” he went on. “I was thinking that, at some point, maybe I would give up my
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“It became a meeting place and
a co-working space. We have several writers who come in and get some writing done during the day.”
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