Woman, 25, to reopen Lock Stop Café in Barnoldswick

Sophie Reffin will be the new manager of the Lock Stop Café. The 25-year-old is part of The Studio Bakery team, a bakery business run by Allison and Lucy Metcalf.

She is already shop manager for Studio Bakery’s shop, The Bake House, in Clitheroe, a place where you can buy sweet treats produced by the company, as well as cake pick and mix, loaded doughnuts and specialty sandwiches.

The 25-year-old, from Barnoldswick, said she wants the café to be a place where people can socialise over a hot drink and bake.

Sophie said: “We were looking for ways to make The Bake House shop a place where people could sit in and enjoy time with family and friends over good coffee and delicious cake, so when we saw the Lock Stop Cafe was for sale, we thought it’d make the ideal location for the dream to come to life.

“It’s even better that it’s on our doorstep.”

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The café will be called Studio Bakery at the Lock Stop.

Sophie said: “We will still be keeping the name as it is already well established, known and loved by that name.

Sophie Reffin (Image: Studio Bakery)

“We will be putting our own branding in and revamping the site to put our own stamp on it!”.

Sophie said the community is looking forward to the site's takeover after the previous owners announced it would not be reopening, last year.

“There were questions circling for a while within the community about whether or not it was going to reopen,” she said.

“The Lock Stop is a staple in Barnoldswick. Everyone knows and loves it, it’s the go-to place in the warmer weather and lighter evenings, so when the locals heard it was reopening they expressed their excitement, wished us well on our new venture and can’t wait to make plans with friends and family to visit us!

“Just hearing the name ‘Lock Stop’ makes everyone think of the summer, long walks and a place to stop for ice cream. It has a very significant meaning for so many people”

Sophie said she is excited to reopen in the coming weeks.

Allison Metcalf (left) with her wife Lucy Metcalf (right) and their son Ralph in the Studio Bakery orchard (Image: Studio Bakery)

She said: “The Lock Stop will serve hot and cold sandwiches, drinks, ice cream, and of course cake!

“We can’t wait to start our new venture.

“We hope to be open to the public in the coming weeks, but no opening date is set in stone.

“We plan to be open Thursday to Sunday, every bank holiday and throughout school holidays.

“We will be announcing updates on our social media. We are currently recruiting staff and  giving the place some TLC.”

The previous owners of the Lock Stop Café said: “We hope that the team will be given the same welcome and level of support we received over the 10-year period we encountered during that time.

“We have had many happy memories and we're grateful to be blessed with visits from many lovely regular and drop-in customers from Barnoldswick and the surrounding areas and further afield.

“This is one of the prettiest locations along this stretch of the canal and we are sure those who have been patiently waiting for it to reopen, like ourselves, will be keen to support The Studio Bakery.”