Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette A line crowds the building during Copper Island Bagel Company's grand opening. Michele Southerland (right) takes orders from a menu featuring 17 varieties of bagels, bagel sandwiches and ice cream.

LAKE LINDEN — A rainy Monday morning did not stop Copper Country residents from rising bright and early for the grand opening of the Copper Island Bagel Company in Lake Linden. 600 bagels were baked in anticipation for many customers coming to see Michele Southerland sell her bagels in a professional establishment.

Michele began baking bagels in 2021 when she wanted to bring bagels for her coworkers, but wanted them to be homemade. Her husband Kris Southerland encouraged her to sell them after positive reception, and Michele did so at a market in the Calumet Art Center. She sold out at the market each time she went, then decided to expand to the Hancock Tori and Lake Linden farmers markets.

“Then last summer, the catering services from Tech approached me and said they wanted to carry my bagels,” Southerland said. “So at that point, I realized that I needed a commercial kitchen.”

The process to obtain a kitchen and restaurant was new to Southerland, who had never run a business. She said beginning the business was not as straightforward as some would assume and it was made clear when she purchased the building at 805 Calumet St. the former Lakes Dairyland property.

“So we thought that this building was pretty much turnkey. Well, we found out that we had to replace the furnace as well as the compressor and condenser for the walk-in freezer. Those were two of the major hiccups with trying to get open.”

Southerland put an offer on the building on July 3 2024 and took possession of it on Oct.15. She said she closed out a 401(K) to pay for the business’ expenses, and is hoping to obtain some potential grants in the future from Lake Linden, whom she said has been incredibly supportive. Southerland will be looking to officially hire employees in May, and for now is just run by assistants and Kris.

The shop offers 17 bagel varieties with an 18th during blueberry season. There will be time limited bagels too, including a Big Annie themed bagel in June. Southerland has worked with the Big Annie statue fundraising in Calumet, and the bagel in her honor feature tomato and onion. The shop also offers bagel sandwiches, coffee, tea, soft drinks and Gilbert’s Ice Cream.

Customers can also opt into bagel subscriptions, which provides one bag of six regular bagels each week for $40 a month or $48 for premium bagels. There is also a mini bagel subscription for two bags of six regular bagels per month for $20.

“I’m looking forward to just serving the community the best bagels in the U.P.,” she said. “They are fresh baked, and they’re not going to be put in the freezer. I have 17 varieties every day, so you should be able to find something that meets your taste.”