FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A beloved Forsyth County bagel shop rose like a phoenix from the ashes, months after fire destroyed its previous location.
At an Aug. 23, re-grand opening, hundreds celebrated the end of the BB’s Bagels drought, visiting its new location, 6835 Shiloh Road East.
Dozens of customers lined up outside the bagel shop’s front doors sandwiched between tool and cabinet businesses at a sleepy office park in southern Forsyth County. Inside, staff were scrambling, taking orders and ringing up customers beneath an enormous, illuminated Bronx Bagels sign.
Despite the chaos, it felt great to be back in the bagel business, said owner Anna Siino.
“It feels amazing,” she said.
Customers line up outside BBs Bagels, 6835 Shiloh Road East, Aug. 23, the day of the business’ reopening after a fire destroyed a previous location.
On Feb. 2, fire gutted the former location on McFarland Parkway after 18 years of business and memories there. Siino said she is not sure what caused the fire but suspects it was related to the vent hoods, which were cleaned that day.
“We watched many, many families grow from kids coming in from elementary to high school, coming in with their girlfriends through college, getting engaged,” she said. “So, that was tough, but having to find a spot was even harder.”
The fire hit Siino’s family hard, but the business’ die-hard customer base stepped up. Online, customers lamented the loss but also rallied, raising more than $76,000 on a Gofundme page.
At the reopening, Siino recognized the faces of at least 50 regulars returning.
She also found strong support among her staff, many of whom returned to work after the months-long hiatus.
“We had 30 people employed at the time, and a lot of them were with us from the very beginning, so it was really a rough transition,” Siino said.
Siino, who was born and raised in the Bronx, said she grew up loving bagels.
When she moved to Atlanta, her family found the city’s bagel scene lacking and decided to take matters into their own hands.
“There’s a lot of bagel shops, but there’s only a few of us who are still doing it the way it should be done,” Siino said.
Doing it right means hand-rolling dough, boiling it in kettles and finishing the bagels in an oven. The result is a light and airy bagel that is crunchy on the outside and chewy inside.
Popular offerings include breakfast, French toast and veggie bagels.
Despite Atlanta’s limited bagel heritage, local customers have taken notice.
Peachtree Corners resident Rebecca Phillips was relieved to learn BBs was reopening and made sure to show up Aug. 23.
For the past six years, BBs has become an essential part of her routine, visiting regularly to buy their bagels and storing them in her freezer. After the fire, she rationed her supply, making them last as long as she could.
Prior to her visit, she finally allowed herself to eat the last of her reserves.
“When you toast them, they’re crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside,” she said. “They’re delicious.”
Kennesaw resident Shelley Coleburn said she and her family have been visiting BBs for most of her life. She was heartbroken to learn of the fire but ecstatic about the restaurant’s return.
She said she loves “everything” about their doughy creations but particularly loves their texture.
“They’re warm, and they are gooey,” she said. “You never get skimped on cream cheese.”
Kendall Bridger agreed. Bridger, who has visited New York several times, even prefers the bagels at BBs to those in the Big Apple.
“They are fresher and taste better,” she said.
BBs Bagels returns to a new location at 6835 Shiloh Road East ,Aug. 23, months after a fire destroyed a former location the business operated for almost 20 years.
Siino admits she misses the previous location, but she also looks forward to a new era for BBs. She loves the Shiloh Road location’s spaciousness and looks forward to many more years of business.
“Before the fire happened, we were like, ‘Oh, we’re going to have a five-year retirement plan,’” Siino said. “But after seven months at home. We’re like, ‘We’re not retiring ever. It’s not happening.’”
