Inside Sunday Bagels at Oxford Creamery, owner Lizzy Lamarche sliced fresh strawberries Wednesday morning for a new cream cheese flavor set to debut Thursday.

For years, Oxford residents have had limited options for freshly made bagels. Now, the arrival and expansion of local bagel businesses could signal growing interest in the breakfast staple.

Lamarche and her boyfriend, Andrew Vallone, both University of Mississippi graduates, began Sunday Bagels by selling bagels out of Andrew’s apartment. The business later expanded to the Oxford Community Market, where the owners began reaching more customers.

Lamarche said Sunday Bagels did not begin as an attempt to fill a gap in Oxford’s breakfast market. 

“I always said since my freshman year that Oxford was missing breakfast,” Lamarche said. “It wasn’t the original intention to fill that gap or meet that demand. We accidentally almost filled this demand.”

The response became especially clear in February 2026, when Sunday Bagels sold out in three minutes. 

“The only thing that stinks is turning people away at the end of the day,” Lamarche said. “I say it every day—I think it’s really good, but it’s just a piece of bread.”

The business later found a more permanent location through an unexpected partnership with Oxford Creamery. After the Daily Mississippian published an article about Sunday Bagels in March 2026, the owners said they needed a commercial kitchen and additional space. The owner of Oxford Creamery contacted them with an opportunity.

Because Oxford Creamery did not open until noon, Sunday Bagels could use the location during the morning. It now operates there from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday to Sunday.

“We haven’t made it to noon yet,” Lamarche said. “We still had a good first week other than the oven breaking.”

Sunday Bagels’ popularity has attracted customers like University of Mississippi senior Delaney Behnken, who discovered the business on social media.

“I saw the hype,” Behnken said. “I saw it posted on Instagram and TikTok, and I wanted to test it out for myself.”

Before Sunday Bagels opened, Behnken said Oxford’s main bagel options were chains such as Einstein Bros. Bagels and Dunkin’. She believes the business appeals to students because bagels are affordable and convenient.

Mike Varley created “Everything Is Everything” while walking through New York City with his wife during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My wife and I did this project during COVID where we walked 7,000 miles around New York City — five marathons a week for one calendar year,” Varley said.

Because their route took them through every neighborhood, Varley began reviewing three bagel shops each week. He ate about 150 bagels during the year.

“The only way I would recommend eating three bagels a week is if you’re walking five marathons a week,” Varley said.

Varley said bagels have become popular beyond cities traditionally known for them.

“You are seeing it at your school, and bagels are expanding everywhere right now,” Varley said. “Different parts of the country are making their own version of bagels.”

That growth can be seen in Oxford as locally made bagels become more available.

Lamarche said Sunday Bagels’ immediate goal is to establish a permanent place in Oxford. In the future, the owners hope to expand to other Southeastern Conference towns with few bagel options.

“The long-term dream is to go to other SEC towns that don’t have bagels and have the same thing that happened in Oxford happen in other towns,” Lamarche said.

As Sunday Bagels continues selling out before noon, its early success suggests Oxford’s demand for locally made bagels may have been greater than its owners expected.