A new business created by two University of Illinois students aims to make it easier for their peers to start the day with convenient access to a good breakfast.
Customers to place orders with I Bagels at ibagelz.square.site anytime from Monday through Saturday; orders are then delivered between 9 a.m. and noon Sunday. The business was co-founded by Matthew Harfield and Lev Linderman, who are both sophomores. Linderman is studying finance and accounting, while Harfield is interested in financial planning.
“We want to make it really convenient for students,” Linderman said.
“It is a friendlier-priced option and it comes to you,” Harfield said. “And having the flexibility of ordering it whenever you want and knowing that you’re going to get it on that Sunday is also nice.”
He also noted that there’s no added charge for delivery.
I Bagels began accepting orders on Oct. 4 and made its first round of deliveries on Oct. 11. During its first week, the business received about 45 orders, Linderman said.
“We didn’t really know what to expect,” he told The News-Gazette. “We didn’t know whether we were going to sell out of all the product that we had. We didn’t know if we were going to get five orders and it was just going to be our family and friends. So I think that we were kind of surprised.”
“A good majority of the orders were people that we didn’t know,” Harfield said.
They both felt that the first week went well while also serving as a learning experience.
In addition to the business’ social media presence, Linderman and Harfield hope to find other ways to get I Bagels’ name out, such as potentially setting up a cart on campus.
The dough for the bagels comes from a distributor based in New York, Linderman said. He and Harfield then bake the bagels and add customers’ requested fixings at the commissary kitchen at Refinery in Champaign.
This is done Sunday morning. From there, several of the two founders’ friends — who wanted to help support I Bagels and have all become certified food handlers — deliver the bagels to customers that same day.
Linderman added that the business is certified by the health department.
When asked about the origins of the business, Linderman said that when he and Harfield would go home during breaks, “The first thing that we did was go home to our local bagel shops and we got an egg and cheese or some sort of item from there that you would normally get at home, not even thinking about the fact that you couldn’t even get it here.”
“And then we would come back and talk to all of our friends, and they would also be going to their favorite breakfast places,” he continued. “And we kind of just realized that there really isn’t anything like that around here. There are breakfast-type places but nothing like a deli-type place.”
“Not having that here was definitely a struggle for a lot of people,” said Harfield, whose family owns a bagel shop.
While there are breakfast and bagel places in Champaign-Urbana, not many are convenient for students in terms of location.
“A lot of the businesses off-campus we don’t even know exist,” Linderman said.
The I Bagels website describes Linderman and Harfield as “two University of Illinois students who got tired of skipping breakfast.”
“Between early lectures, work, and everything else, morning food usually loses,” they wrote. “Either you skip it or you spend twenty minutes in a line you do not have time for. The problem is not really breakfast — it is deciding about breakfast, every single morning, when you are already late.”
I Bagels’ menu includes not just single bagels, but also an order of a dozen for students who want breakfast covered for the week to come.
Linderman sees the current business model as a way to test the market for I Bagels without rushing to open a storefront at this point.
“We’re both in business classes all the time,” he said. “That’s kind of what we want to do, so this whole thing — yeah, we’re trying to make money and have a successful business, but also I think the whole thing’s just a great learning experience for us.”
Lot number 4: One guitar, teardrops not included
An upcoming auction to benefit Salt and Light will include a guitar autographed by the one and only Taylor Swift.
“Calling all Swifties, music lovers, and collectors: this is your chance to own a truly extraordinary piece of music history,” the local nonprofit shared on social media. “…Opportunities like this are exceptionally rare! Bid boldly, make it yours, and help support an incredible cause at the same time.”
The live auction is part of Salt and Light’s second annual Masquerade Ball fundraiser, which has a roaring 20’s theme and will be held at Carmon’s in Champaign at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Individuals must be present at the event to bid on the guitar.
More information, including a list of live auction and silent auction items, is available at onecau.se/masquerade2026. Individual tickets are $150; tables and sponsorships are also available.
‘Goodwill Outlet’ now available in Champaign
The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to celebrate the recent opening of a new Goodwill Outlet store that is located at 912 W. Anthony Drive next to the existing Goodwill store.
According to Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries, outlet locations are different from traditional Goodwill stores and offer an experience where “shoppers hunt through rotating bins of merchandise and purchase most items by the pound.”
“I’m pleased to offer Champaign and the surrounding communities another opportunity to shop for donated goods at further discounted prices,” said Ron Culves, President and CEO of Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries. “At the same time, these purchases help advance our mission — empowering individuals through job training and skills development while upholding our environmental stewardship.”
Most items will be priced at $1.89 per pound, with glassware, ceramics and china set at 19 cents per pound. Select items — such as bicycles, vacuum cleaners and other large items — will be priced individually, officials said.
The Champaign outlet location, which opened in late September, is one of only three such stores in Illinois.
Customers must be at least 16 years old and should wear “full-coverage footwear” for safety. The outlet is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Area travel agent honored
Gigi Henderson, owner of Travel Simple 4 You in Tuscola, has received two 2026 Gold Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly, making this her third consecutive year as a Magellan Award winner.
Henderson’s 2026 awards are in the categories “Individual Travel Advisor, Marketing | Website” and “Individual Travel Advisor, Overall | Business Strategy.”
“At a time when travelers can book almost anything online — and now increasingly turn to AI for travel recommendations — I believe there is still tremendous value in having a real person who knows you, understands what matters to you, and is personally invested in your experience,” Henderson said.
She added that, despite being based locally, she has the ability to send clients to destinations and experiences all over the world, such as European getaways or African safaris.
