Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Pils.
Holly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My business partner Lisa Underwood and I started our bagel business on 2/1/2000. We named the bagel shop Boopa’s because that was her son’s nickname. Sadly they passed away on 2/19/2005. I have continued our business in their honor ever since. On 2/1/2020, we had our 20th anniversary and threw a big party for our community. We take care of our customers and have a strong following of customers who know what a good bagel should taste like. We boil our bagels before we bake them which is the authentic way to produce a bagel. We make our bagels from scratch and they are never frozen. I often say “if your bagel is not boiled then it is just bread with a hole in it”.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Owning a small business is difficult but very rewarding. After 20 years of being a business owner I am still constantly learning. Maintaining a good crew of dedicated individuals is hard to do but I try to take care of them so they will take care of our customers and the business. Owning a bagel business in a world where carbs sometimes are not the hero has certainly in some years, been a challenge but bread wins the fight many times. Failure has never been an option so owning a business takes a lot of planning and the daily operation is of the most importance of “getting it right” day in and day out. I think that gets forgotten sometimes. But being in front of customers and taking care of them will go far towards succeeding.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Boopa’s Bagel Deli story. Tell us more about the business.
Getting to know our customers is very important and sets us apart from the 16 other restaurants on our corner. We make fresh, kettle boiled bagels from scratch and have been doing it for 20 years. We have 19 different flavors of bagels and 14 types of cream cheese. We make deli sandwiches with Boar’s Head deli meats and breakfast egg sandwiches. Our most popular item we sell is a bagel wrapped sausage called a boopalache. We offer catering and we have been delivering breakfast for 20 years.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Most people are surprised to learn two women started this business. I am a no-nonsense type of person and a take care of business individual. Lisa used to say we are two grown powerful women and we can handle anything thrown at us. I learned a lot from other female leaders early before owning a business which was a very important foundation for me.
Pricing:
- Dozen Boopalaches $12.00. (jalapeno, plain, everything)
- Baker’s Dozen of bagels $14.50 (sliced upon request)
- Eggstrameat Sandwich $5.65 (ham, bacon, sausage, egg and cheese on a bagel)
Contact Info:
- Address: 6513 N Beach St
Fort Worth TX 76137 - Website: boopasbageldeli.com
- Phone: 817-232-4771
- Email: orders@ftwbagels.com
- Instagram: @boopasbageldeli
- Facebook: Boopasbageldeli
- Twitter: Boopasbageldeli
Image Credit:
Holly Pils – Boopa Crew 2019
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