Kismet Bagels, a small-scale bakery born of a local couple’s COVID boredom, has proven so successful that it’s getting its own storefront in Phila.’s Fishtown neighborhood. Ryan Mulligan reported the hole story for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Kismet’s home-grown bakers are Jacob and Alexandra Cohen. The two originally took a locally sourced ingredient — stone-ground whole wheat flour from Castle Valley Mill in Doylestown — and kneaded it into dough that yielded fantastic bagels. And although they have moved onto another flour provider, their experience in the use of first-rate ingredients has remained.

The Cohens’ first customers were their neighbors, but their market expanded to area pop-up locations. As volume increased, the kneading and baking tasks shifted to a more industrial-style kitchen in Kensington.

In 2021, the popularity of their baked, flavorful circles of dough skyrocketed. Sales increased by 700 percent, boosted by a rise in wholesale clients from 10 to 50.

The Cohens are now eager to move into their first brick-and-mortar sales location on E. Girard Ave.

Yes, they find the business success is gratifying. But it’s not the source of their professional joy. That comes from their passionate purchasers.

“We’ve just fallen in love with the interaction of us and customers and … [seeing] people’s faces smiling about fresh dough,” Jacob said. “It’s really addicting.”

More on Kismet Bagels is at the Philadelphia Business Journal.