Fresh bagel shop in Fairhope wins national award

FAIRHOPE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Fairhope’s Kind Cafe was recently named the Alabama Emerging Retailer of the Year.

The award came as a complete surprise to the owner and the team. They told News 5 that winning the award reminded them that hard work pays off.

The restaurant was founded in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 after the owner, Alex Pikul, noticed the Eastern Shore’s need for kindness.

With the Eastern Shore’s need for social interactions and a taste of fresh New York-style bagels, Pikul felt a cafe was needed in the community.

“The Baldwin County area needed a fresh New York-style bagel shop, that helped refocus us back on giving back to the community,” Pikul said.

Kind Cafe is the Eastern Shore’s only bagel shop that serves fresh New York-style bagels daily. The cafe also makes fresh cream cheese.

The restaurant is coming up on its third and November and hopes to continue to serve bagels and kindness to the eastern shore and Baldwin County.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.