After 30 years in the grocery industry, Patrick Fineran decided it was time to chase a dream.
He had fallen in love with making hand-rolled, boiled and baked bagels and imagined opening a neighborhood shop where people could gather for breakfast or lunch, coffee and conversation.
When it came time to choose a location, one place felt like home: Downtown Rock Island.
“It was exactly what I envisioned Blue Collar Bagels being,” Fineran said. “The history, the working-class attitude, the sense of community – it just felt right.”
What felt right to him also feels very right to the throngs of customers lining up to try his delicious bagel sandwiches with ingredients like bacon, egg, pesto mayo and heirloom tomatoes. Since opening, Blue Collar Bagels has drawn lines out the door every weekend and has exceeded every projection Fineran made. The response has been so overwhelming that he has already added four employees to keep up with demand.
"I honestly stand here every day and think, 'I can't b
elieve this is happening,'" he said. "I thought I'd have to fight to build the business. I didn't expect it to happen this organically,” he said. Open every day but Tuesday, 6 a.m. – 2 p.m., Fineran offers a variety of bagel flavors, savory and sweet, gluten-free and some tasty lunch items like fresh tuna and chicken salad.
Of Rock Island, Fineran says, "Rock Island feels like a real community. It's not just people coming to get bagels. It feels like people who really care about their downtown."
He's found that every day brings a different crowd. Weekends are packed with younger customers while weekdays bring the work crowd, and retired Rock Islanders who stop in to thank him for investing downtown.
"They thank me for opening here," he said. "But really, I'm thanking them for supporting me."
That support extends beyond customers. The startup business received financial assistance from property owner Tom Norman, City of Rock Island, Rock Island Downtown Alliance and Rock Island-based Bridge Investment Community Development Corporation to make improvements to the building and successfully launch the operation. Fellow downtown business owners have also welcomed Fineran with open arms, promoting Blue Collar Bagels on social media, offering advice and celebrating its success as if it were their own. “It's been really humbling how many business owners have reached out to help,” he said. "Everybody looks out for everybody and everybody's trying to promote everybody."
Fineran also credits Downtown Rock Island's growing calendar of events for introducing new customers to his business. The weekly Farmers Market right outside his door, 2nd Saturdays and other downtown events and promotions that have all helped bring people through the doors.
“Every event we've participated in has increased business,” he said. “I'm really excited to experience things like the Christmas events and the St. Patrick's Day Parade now that we're open full-time.”
Looking ahead, Fineran sees even more opportunity and believes Blue Collar Bagels is just one example of what's possible as more entrepreneurs invest in downtown.
“There's no reason those empty storefronts can't be filled," he said. “The more people see businesses succeeding down here, the more confidence they'll have to open something themselves. For me, this was always the right fit,” he said. “I completely believe in the vision of Downtown Rock Island, and I know it's moving in the right direction.”