Bowling Green hot spot Bread & Bagel is changing owners and names.
But the new owners say the culture and traditions that made the coffee shop unique aren’t being remodeled.
The coffee shop and local music venue is being bought by Molly Kerby and Benita Bartley, owners of Greener Groundz coffee.
Greener Groundz makes coffee, but this will be its first official location, Kerby said in an e-mail.
Greener Groundz coffee has been served at Bread & Bagel since September 2008, she said in an e-mail.
Bread & Bagel’s name will be changed to Greener Groundz Café before the re-opening on March 9, Kerby said.
Bread & Bagel will be closed from Feb. 1 to March 8 for remodeling, she said.
It will be open for coffee sales every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kerby said.
Women’s Studies Instructor Kerby and Bartley, a former student, said they were anxious to broaden the customer base but retain what made Bread & Bagel a destination in the first place.
“None of us wanted to see the place become a Jiffy Lube!” Kerby said in an e-mail. “Bread & Bagel is a community icon and we want to see that continue.”
She said the new Greener Groundz Café will keep the most important parts of Bread & Bagel, including music, community space and ambiance.
Former owners J.D. and Kimberly Weiskircher decided to move to Florida. They approached the Greener Groundz owners in December about carrying on the tradition, J.D. Weiskircher said.
“In order for Bread & Bagel to flourish, new owners were needed,” J.D. Weiskircher said. “We’ve owned Bread & Bagel for five years, and it was just time to let someone else guide it for a while.”
But not everyone is as confident in the new changes.
Jordan Pendley, Bread & Bagel music booking manager, said he hopes the change in ownership won’t affect the atmosphere of the cafe.
“The openness towards local and touring acts is essential to Bread & Bagel,” Pendley said. “I hope all the musicians continue to come after the transitions. I’m a little worried about whether or not it will be kept as we left it.”
Pendley is moving to Portland, Ore., later this week but said he remains hopeful about the future of the café he worked at for almost two years.
“If the new owners are open and receptive, the musicians in the community will make it happen,” Pendley said.
Local musician Caleb Rowe agrees.
“I’d love to see shows a few times a week,” he said. “The music scene is awesome to be a part of in Bowling Green, and I’d really like to see that continue.”