Crissta Ames

Contributing Writer

When Chris and Lindsay Murray started selling bagels in March, they had no idea it would take off the way that it did. It started as a Facebook post and grew into a business that allowed them to open a new Crusty’s Bagels storefront in Nashville on Nov. 7.

The evolution of Crusty’s began when Chris decided to bake so the family could avoid foods with corn due to Lindsay’s allergies. 

“I couldn’t eat pretty much anything. All preservatives have corn in it,” Lindsay said. “One of the things he baked was bagels and everyone went crazy over them.” 

Chris was able to start baking more food when he received a big mixer as a birthday present. With the mixer, he was able to create bigger batches and start selling over Facebook to make a little extra dough and see what people thought of the product. 

“We thought it’d be 20 bucks here and there,” Lindsay said. “It turned into a full-blown business. He got to quit his job and I stay home with the kids.” 

The excitement for the shop has spread from Charlotte to Nashville, as well as the surrounding areas. With two locations, the biggest challenge is meeting demand, especially when they do cookies or cinnamon rolls in addition to the bagels that fans (dubbed “Crust-omers”) love so much. 

“We’re trying to get production up right now. We’re training another baker because we just can’t produce enough.” Lindsay said.

The Crusty’s Bagels storefront offers single-serve bagels as well as the pre-packaged batches they sell in Charlotte. Be on the lookout for new flavors as well. 

“We have tons of different flavors that we want to come out with. He’s all about perfecting recipes so we have to take some time to come out with a new flavor. Bear with us.” Lindsay said. 

The plan is to focus on bagels, but they’d like to keep everyone on their toes. “We’ll come out with different things for the holidays. Just stay tuned,” she said. 

Crusty’s Bagels new storefront is located at 223 N. Main Street in Nashville, and their Charlotte location is 200 N. Cochran Avenue. Both locations are open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, look for @crustysbagels on Facebook.