"Bay Area bagels are no longer something East Coasters can sneer at, as the local scene has become a force to reckon with — and tour de force Boichik Bagels owner Emily Winston is looking to fuel this bagel boom even further with community help. Palo Alto Online has updates on Winston’s plans, first announced last year, to open a big bagel plant in West Berkeley alongside a wholesale business. She’s doing so in part by selling gift cards at a discount — which Winston charmingly calls “bagel futures” — and crowdfunding through the popular platform SMBX, which allows small business owners to reward backers by repaying them with interest." - Dianne de Guzman