Everything Bagels

It’s not unusual to root for the underdog, and that same support crosses over to cheering on the new kid on the block. When Diane and Brian England opened Everything Bagels in December, 2008, it seems they had a whole community backing them.

“People come in, ask how things are going, and tell me they are happy we are succeeding,” Diane said. “That feels
good.”

Diane and her husband are home-grown and still live in Union Township. But for years, their careers took them
both to Mason.

“We both worked at Papa John’s for 15 years,” Diane said. “We started on the phones and worked our way up.”

From there, they worked at a bagel shop until they had a chance to buy it.

“But that was a franchise, and what we really wanted was to get out of the franchising business and open our own
shop.”

When they started looking, they found the perfect spot on Eastgate South Drive—right in their
own back yard.

“This location is everything we wanted,” Diane said. “It’s much easier to network and build if the business is in your own community.
We’ve gotten to know the people who come in regularly. They ask how we are, we ask how their kids are, and it’s a good feeling to know
that your customers are your neighbors.”

As it turns out, having the only bagel sandwich shop in Union Township was a pretty smart thing to do, especially when
the product gets rave reviews.

“I come here a lot,” said Stephanie Reed. “I always get a plain bagel with plain cream cheese for here, but I also take
home a dozen bagels of all kinds. They are so good, and these are super-nice people.”

Reed brought her friend, Adrienne Pettigrew, for the first time.

“Another friend also told me about these bagels, so I had to try for myself,” Pettigrew said. “I got the buffalo chicken
bagel. It was excellent. I think I’m going to be a frequent flier.”

The shop caters to the breakfast and lunch business, and also does business catering.

“We have done lunches for the (West Clermont Local) school district, for TQL and Midland, and a lot of doctor’s
offices,” she said.

Diane said husband, Brian, and brother, Christopher Pierani, get to the shop about 4 a.m. to begin baking the 22 varieties
of bagels that are made fresh daily. In addition to a large menu of breakfast bagel sandwiches and wraps, muffins
and cinnamon twists are available for early risers. Signature and deli sandwiches make up the lunch menu, along
with wraps, fresh salads and a soup of the day. Gourmet coffees and smoothies round out the beverage menu of
soda, iced tea, and bottled juices and water.

“The cream cheeses are all homemade, as well as the tuna
and chicken salads,” Diane said.

Since it is a breakfast and lunch business, the shop closes at 3 p.m., but Diane said it is not unusual to find a business
meeting taking place at the shop after hours.

“We have a Mary Kay group that meets here every Tuesday evening,” she said. “We have staff here, so if anyone
wants a sandwich or salad, that’s available to them.”

Diane said another advantage of being in the community where she lives is being able to give back to that community.
Everything Bagels supported the U.T.P.D. National Night Out event in August.

“It’s the second year we did it,” she said. “This year, we had eight pans of bagels, and we were out of them by 7:15 p.m. It
was amazing!”

The first year in business, the Englands donated 1,200 bagels to Glen Este High School for seniors taking
the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT). This year, there will again be a Christmas Giving Tree at the store,
and Diane has hosted a vendor fair there.

“I want to do a youth vendor fair for kids who want to make things and sell them,” she said. “I think it’s a
good way to teach them about business.”

With so much going on, the Englands still manage to keep two young teens focused and manage another store.

“That’s The Game Place,” Diane said. “It’s Brian’s thing—he loves it.”

According to Diane, though, the icing on the cake for both her and Brian is owning their own food business.
“I’m Italian, so I don’t know if that has anything to do with it, but I just love to feed people,” she said. “Plus,
there’s really no better advertising than giving away your food. It really sells itself.”

Everything Bagels is located at 792 Eastgate South Drive.
Hours are from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday