Family-owned Moe's Broadway Bagel renovates formerly vacant Longmont building

Mar. 7—Husband and wife John and Patty Sherman have run Moe's Broadway Bagel from its flagship location in Boulder for 29 years, honing a following for crispy and chewy New York-style bagels. Now, their family is working to transform a vacant Longmont building into their newest site.

Moe's Broadway Bagel is slated to open at 225 Main St. sometime in July. Customers will be able to choose from 24 different varieties of bagels and 15 varieties of cream cheese. Rounding out the menu will be a selection of breakfast and lunch sandwiches, wraps, coffee, espresso and juice. The average sale, which usually includes a sandwich and drink, costs about $10.

Peter Sherman, business vice president, store manager and son to John and Patty Sherman, said renovations to the 1960s building began roughly two weeks ago.

"We're really excited," Sherman said. "We've been looking at Longmont for years. We have a loyal customer base that lives here. This building popped up on our radar, and we jumped on it."

Peter Sherman said the business is known for traditional New York-style bagels, which means they are boiled and baked, giving them a crispy outside and chewy inside. The bagels are preservative-free and made of organic flour.

"Everything is made fresh daily," Sherman said. "Our baker will be here at 4 a.m. and (making) hot bagels all day long."

A love for bagels has long been in the Sherman family. John, who is from New York, first met Patty in Boulder.

"We always loved bagels," she said.

John Sherman happened to get connected with a man who knew how to make the style of bagels that the family loved. With a desire to open their own business, it solidified the husband and wife's plans to start their own shop. That, and the fact that Patty's maiden name is Pagnotta, which is also a style of rustic Italian bread, led the the family to say making bread is in their blood.

"29 years later, here we are," John Sherman said.

Now, many family members are involved in running the business. Steve Pagnotta, Peter Sherman's uncle and Patty's brother, is general manager, and Peter Sherman's children Samuel, 4 and Brooks, 1, provide feedback on cream cheese flavors. The family plans to hire 10 to 15 employees at the Longmont location for a mix of full-time and part-time jobs.

Peter Sherman said the Longmont building was purchased roughly two years ago for $635,000. The family had hoped to open at the Longmont location last summer, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed their plans.

The business owners aim to invest roughly $1.1 million in renovating the property and approximately 1,900-square-foot building. Peter Sherman said he wasn't sure what the building used to be, but said he had heard that it may have been the location for a Pizza Hut or a barbecue restaurant.

The renovated building will include a new raised roof and outdoor patio. Peter Sherman said they plan to keep some of the brickwork and trapezoidal windows. He said the family also hopes to hire a local artist to create an artistic homage to Longmont on a side of the building.

Kimberlee McKee, executive director for the Longmont Downtown Development authority, approximated that the building has been vacant for 10 years.

"(Moe's) is a fantastic business that has been around the Boulder County community for quite some time," McKee said. "It will be a huge asset to the downtown. It's huge asset to the residential (area) that we are building at the South Main Station and a great destination at the southern end of the downtown district."

McKee said the Longmont Downtown Development Authority and Longmont Economic Development Partnership awarded the business a $22,500 retail conversion grant to put toward rehabilitation of the building. A Longmont Downtown Development Authority facade grant for $17,000 will also go toward the cost of renovations.

John and Patty Sherman opened Moe's Broadway Bagel in 1992 in Boulder. Their Longmont store will mark their seventh operation, with four businesses in Boulder, including the original location at 2650 Broadway, one location in Louisville and one location in Denver. The business was named after John's grandfather, Moe.

Peter Sherman said the family looks forward to being part of the Longmont community.

"Everyone is so welcoming," he said. "With this location, we're so excited to be part of the downtown."