From dreaming about keys to a shop: Primrose Bagel

For Sam Davis, the dream was simple: to have the keys to his own space. But the road to Primrose Bagel was anything but straightforward.After living in New York City and falling deep into bagel culture, Sam found himself back in Toronto - where bagels were already in his blood. His cousins owned United Bakers, and long before Primrose existed, Sam was biking around the city delivering bagels to friends for fun, donations, and practice.Everything changed the morning Grant van Gameren ordered three dozen bagels. Sam baked as many as he physically could out of his home, biked them across the city, and woke up to a video that helped set everything in motion. Soon after, doors opened (literally) and Sam was offered spaces to bake.Primrose takes its name from Sam’s grandfather’s garment company, a piece of family history rooted in Spadina’s Jewish garment district. The original stationery from that business still lives on today, forming the backbone of Primrose’s visual identity. It’s a continuation of legacy - not just in name, but in spirit.In this conversation, Sam shares how bagels became a ritual, why they had to be good enough to eat plain on the walk home, what United Bakers taught him about listening to customers, and why the people who clock in at the start of the day and clock out at the end are the most important part of the business.This is a story about bread, belonging, and building a neighbourhood ritual - one sesame bagel at a time.Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTokFollow Sam Jen on Instagram