A downtown bakery and cafe will close its doors at 4 p.m. Saturday for the last time and reopen nearby next month under a new name.
The , at 120 S. Water St., will move to 123 N. Water St. in the coming weeks. Although the hours and menu will remain unchanged, the eatery will open sometime in August at its new home with a different name, owner Andrea Berry said.
"I’m having a contest. Whoever comes up with a new name that jumps out at me gets a free lunch when I reopen, but none has jumped out at me yet," Berry said as she held a list with two pages of suggestions submitted by her customers.
Berry said some customers felt "Backerei" wasn’t in keeping with the menu’s variety of pastries, breads, sandwiches, soups and salads, most of which are priced at less than $5.
"People feel it’s not authentically German," she said.
Berry opened the Backerei in Feb. 2008 with former co-owner and teacher Charles Braeutigam, who left the business after a year and a half. She now runs the eatery solo, arriving early in the day to bake and prepare meals for customers.
As she bustled back and forth, greeting and serving customers, Berry joked about the stifling heat brought on by the two ovens and insufficient cooling in the 1,000-square-foot establishment during summer months.
"There is air conditioning, but it’s not strong enough for a restaurant," she said.
The building changed hands in April 2009 and is now owned by George and Mary Istocki of Stow, who operate Kent’s Euro Gyro at 107 S. Depeyster St. The Istockis could not be reached for comment at their store or residence as to the future of the space.
The South Water Street building’s owners did not renew the lease, which ended in May, Berry said. She plans in mid-August to open at the new, 1,300-square-foot location owned by Allen Building LLC in Hudson. Some renovation, including upgrading the floor to withstand the weight of the kitchen equipment, is needed prior to the move — about one block north of their existing location.
Eating lunch at the Backerei’s outdoor seating, customers Paula Shay and Jennifer Weitzl of Kent said they’ll find their way to Berry’s new restaurant when it reopens.
"She’s just the nicest person. You just feel so welcome here,"Weitzl said.
For more information, visit the Backerei's website.
