Henry’s Bakery Café on Keen Street will close its doors at the end of trading today, in preparation for a month of renovations.

So, if you are used to regularly buying their specialty breads, cakes, pastries, coffees and sandwiches - you will now have to wait until March for the doors to reopen.

Michael Lawson, the bakery’s owner said he was closing the doors so he could add another level to the bakery section of the premises. 

“The new roof was up before Christmas and now we have to remove the old roof and put in the floor to the new level,” he said. 

“We have to vacate the bakery for this to all happen but should be good to go again on March 1.”

Henry’s Bakery Cafe has been a family business since Michael’s dad, Derek Lawson, established the North Coast’s first hot bread shop back in 1979, at 74 Keen Street.

“This was the start of an era where the supply of bread shifted from large centralised manufacturers supplying corner stores and supermarkets, to an option for consumers to buy a more interesting variety of breads, baked before their eyes,” Michael said.

“In the 1990s, the bakery was renovated to incorporate our cafe and became Henry’s Bakery Café. 

“Why was it called Henry’s? Well, Derek Lawson started the business, and anyone with a surname Lawson invariably had the nick name “Henry”, thanks to Henry Lawson, the famous Australian writer and bush poet. So quite simply – Henry’s Hot Bread sounded better than Derek’s Hot Bread.

“The business evolved and expanded to include cakes pies and pastries, also relocating to the current location in the heart of Lismore’s CBD, at 87 Keen Street, in the 1980’s.”

Michael joined the team in 1989, ensuring the business remained in family hands for another generation and marked the family’s fourth consecutive generation working in the baking industry.

This photo show Frank Lawson and his son Keith (Derek’s father), in front of the Willaura Tea Rooms, Victoria, in the 1920’s. This was an era when the residence was next door to the bakery, bakers mixed dough by hand, used wood fired ovens, and made their own yeast.

Read more about local bakeries: New bakery brings unique sourdough to Alstonville