Ithaca’s Collegetown Bagels will be moving their downtown location this summer and will be making additions to its menu offerings. Currently located at 203 N. Aurora St., the popular bagel place will move to the new City Centre building at 301 E. State St.
Gregar Brous, owner of Collegetown Bagels, said that the eatery has “been looking for space in the downtown area that would be a bit larger in order to expand our brand and take it to the next step.”
When Brous discovered that CTB’s current building was about to undergo development, he decided to look for a new location. He found one in City Centre, a place Brous called “the center of the universe for Ithaca.” He believes that the new location will connect people from all over the city, including Cornell and Ithaca College.
Brous also hopes that the new location will provide a refreshing dining experience by expanding the menu and renovating the store.
Along with the move, CTB plans to incorporate many new features for the store. The business plans to update its inside and outside seating areas. It will also slightly alter the menu by updating sandwich options and adding beer and wine to the drink menu.
The owner also described how the new location will be more accessible. For Cornell students, the new downtown location will have a bus stop across the street and parking for cars and bikes. The new CTB hopes to also include more grab-and-go items. It also plans on expanding hours, staying open later in the day.
Brous hopes all of these changes will increase CTB’s footprint.
“Increasing our hours, seating options, and product line will hopefully enable us to not only maintain but also expand our customer base, possibly to people staying in hotels near the City Centre building,” he said.
Even though there will be many new changes and additions, Brous wants to maintain CTB’s traditional base, such as including CTB’s signature blackboard menu system.
“We want people to see that the store is a new concept, while sticking with our base as well. We want to advance our base but want our customers to walk in and not feel like it is just a brand new building,” Brous affirmed.
In order to stay in touch with customer preferences, the business will be conducting surveys within the next few months in order to get ideas from customers about what kinds of products and service styles they would like to see. This will give the business an opportunity to address consumer needs and trends.
Brous feels the new location will be key in its role in the greater Ithaca community.
“It will be a place that will draw local Ithacans and college students coming down from both hills together,” Brous said, calling it “a location that will bridge the communities together.”