KLCC has covered stories about the pandemic’s hard-hitting effects on Eugene-area businesses, including restaurants that shut down for good. But one eatery has rebounded like a vigorously kneaded ball of dough, to the delight of its customers and employees. We report on the revival of Lox, Stocks, and Bagels in South Eugene.
In the pre-dawn hours, Maxwell Davis dropped gooey loops of dough into a large, bubbling kettle of water mixed with salt and baking soda. Moments later, they rose to the surface like life rings bobbing across a stormy sea.
“Once they start floating, we’re good,” said Davis, grabbing a long metal scoop. “Get these guys out, then we gotta take those ones in the oven out.”
Davis is president of Boiled and Baked LLC, which operates as Lox, Stocks, and Bagels. Like others in the food industry, he’s weathered a storm brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns, decreased traffic, and fears of contagion over the past two years upended businesses all over Eugene and beyond. But Davis has kept up his humor, and standards.
“By definition, a bagel should be boiled so I like to call other bagels in quotes, ‘circle bread,’” laughed Davis. “But what it does in terms of the baking process, is the steam is going to make the inside a little bit more doughy and gooier than typical bread would be, and that outside will have a little bit of a nice crunch to it.”
Lox, Stocks, and Bagels was already becoming a local favorite, garnering customers after long-standing bakery Humble Bagel closed in 2019. But last December, the previous owners announced it would shutter over the holiday season, raising questions if it’d return. Two months later, Davis was announced as the new owner. He told KLCC that he took out a loan to buy the store, and is revving up operations.
“There’s now a 10 percent profit sharing program, and everybody got some pay raises, so yeah, it’s been good. It’s been a helluva lot of work, but we’re trudging along. It's definitely been an adjustment doing the morning bakes every single day, but yeah, it’s been going great.”
It was just Davis for a few hours on the morning I visited (though he keeps KLCC on the radio during his prep) readying dozens of bagels and bialys for customers filing in for Lox, Stocks, and Bagels’ second act. By the time the door opens for business, the air is thick with the aroma of garlic, onion, poppyseeds, and blueberries, among other flavors.
Customer Ben Hallert of Springfield is a fan.
“I’ve been coming here since the previous ownership, and the transition to the new ownership? Man, I love everything they’ve done. The commitment that the original owner had, looking around I can see these people put their hearts and souls into keeping all the stuff that was great and expanding on it.”
Store manager Ben Garcia helped take orders and prepare food. He ticked off the crucial bagels they have to keep stocked every day for customers.
“Everythings, sesames, cheese bagels, plains…those are the ones we can’t run out of, so we’ll make a lot more of those throughout the day than anything else.”
The store also innovates with its menu. Among the offerings today is a beet-cured lox, which Garcia is excited about.
Eugene resident Marc Danis lives across the street from Lox, Stocks, and Bagels. He’s a regular here for one simple reason.
“These are absolutely the best bagels in town. I don’t know what New York is offering, but we’ve got it covered on the West Coast, y’know. They’re crunchy, they’re tasty, they’re addictive.”
Owner Maxwell Davis said they plan to get to a seven-day business schedule in May, as well as explore a second location, perhaps in the 5th Street Market area. For now, he’s happy with the uptick in sales and response he’s received from the South Eugene community.
“We really just aim to be welcoming, and provide an atmosphere that allows everybody to feel safe, comfortable, and just have some delicious food and hang out with your neighbors, so that’s the goal, that’s the goal of the bagel shop.”
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