Seize the Bagel is moving to a new, updated space

Current location: 13503 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., No. 2

New location: 13215 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., Suite C3

Hours: 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily

Website: www.seizethebagel.com

Price range: $2.35 for a bagel and spread to $7.95 for a specialty sandwich

Relocation date: Early April

From the bamboo benches to the concrete floor, exposed ceilings and LED lighting, the new Seize The Bagel cafe in Vancouver is aiming to be a modern, sustainable twist on an old favorite.

Owners Bruce and Cindy Yamamura are planning to move their bagel shop from its current location in the Millport Shopping Center down just a few doors, closer to Chuck’s Produce.

“We wanted new space, different space,” Bruce Yamamura said, sitting in his new bagel shop, sawdust still on the floor and wires exposed in the ceiling. The couple is just waiting on final city and other inspections to finish and open their new location by early April.

The shop serves bagels, bagel dogs, sandwiches, soups, salads, baked goods, coffee and more. Prices range from $2.35 for a bagel and spread to $7.95 for a specialty sandwich and $9.95 for a baker’s dozen.

The opening of the new location is getting close. A brightly colored wall with a large B in the middle of a circle, the company’s new logo, and a large wall graphic filled with words such as “carpe carbs, delicious and friendly” are all part of the design.

“We got to design it from scratch,” Cindy Yamamura said. This way, we can design something that is comfortable and reflective of us.”

The Vancouver couple has a local following but they say there is room to grow and are hoping this new spot will attract more customers. Since opening Seize The Bagel in 2008, the couple has made it their mission to sync business with community.

“We’re all about supporting local,” Cindy Yamamura said. From the children’s art on the walls from nearby Crestline Elementary School students to running and quilting groups gathering for meetings and a bagel, Seize The Bagel has its fans.

“The bagels are the best. The variety is the best,” said David Wulbers, who sometimes brings his grandchildren to the “fast casual” dining restaurant. But, as he was on this Tuesday, he and his wife, Cheryl, often grab a bite with four other friends.

“These are our reserved tables,” Janet Fallon joked. The jovial group, which also included Charlene and Ron Sletten, joked that they wanted to take their tables with them when the new shop opens.

But at the new Seize The Bagel, the tables are bamboo and the chairs are “broom chairs,” made from recycled wood, glass and plastic.

Design and sustainability were keys to the new bagel shop, said the owners, who make their bagels with sustainable wheat from Shepherd’s Grain, organic sugar and sea salt. The design ideas came from Portland designer Jennifer Fowler.

And the couple credits general contractor Dennis Sallee of Vancouver for a smooth process in getting the new place set up.

“It’s been quite a learning curve,” Cindy Yamamura said.

Sallee, owner of Tenant Improvement Solutions, said he’s been a general contractor for 25 years but has never worked with a designer as he did on this project.

“This is a pairing of aesthetics and function,” he said. “It’s very cool.”

The cafe is designed to work for those in a hurry or those who want to meet for business or do work, hence the electrical plug-ins on the benches. But it’s also a place to relax and have fun. Weekends are the busiest, when the place fills up with families. The kids’ corner at the current shop will be carried over and improved, with a lower bench and table, toys and the art wall.

“So moms can kind of unwind,” Cindy Yamamura said.

The space is also bigger, giving Seize The Bagel a kitchen four times larger than the current one and a flow more open than the “bowling alley” style of the current shop. As with the current location, it will have seating for about 75 customers.

Bruce Yamamura said he hopes to expand and open smaller shops in the Vancouver area, using the commissary kitchen at the Mill Plain location to serve other spots. He said sales at the bagel shop have been up between 7 and 10 percent over last year.

But, he added, with any business, it’s important to refresh and revive the brand.

“Otherwise it can atrophy,” he said.