A PROMINENT fixture of the Midvale Shopping Centre is about to re-open after being shut for more than a year following a devastating fire.<\/p>\n
Stewart\u2019s Bakery owners Noel and Margaret Stewart are preparing to bring the bread once more with their relaunch set for early next month.<\/p>\n
Redevelopment started in September, and Margaret said she\u2019s feeling \u201cmixed emotions\u201d at reopening.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s been asking \u2018are you excited about it?\u2019 and yes we are but all we really want is our old shop back and our old lives back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been very hard work rebuilding. This has affected a lot of people too, we supply a lot of football clubs, schools, the Mount Clear area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to try and put our past behind us and look to the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between the updated ovens and cool room, new staff uniforms and a modern flooring design, Noel said the reopening is like \u201copening for the first time again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had to start from scratch,\u201d he said. \u201cThe difference this time is we\u2019re starting with our customers already with us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve spruced it all up with new floors, new cash registers. The tiles we originally put down were over 30 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bakery has been closed since January last year following an arson attack which also damaged five other Midvale businesses.<\/p>\n
The Stewarts’ roughly-15 employees have been retained with regular payments thanks to interruption insurance which extended to their casual workers.<\/p>\n
With the bakery more than 30 years old, Noel said their year off has given him time to appreciate the legacy his family has built.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t realise how known we were until this,\u201d he said. \u201cYou might go to the other side of town and people would know all about the bakery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been here that long we had children come in who now have their own children coming in too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A PROMINENT fixture of the Midvale Shopping Centre is about to re-open after being shut for more than a year following a devastating fire. Stewart\u2019s Bakery owners Noel and Margaret Stewart are preparing to bring the bread once more with their relaunch set for early next month. Redevelopment started in September, and Margaret said she\u2019s […]<\/p>\n