Photo/Illutration Shogo Kawabata and his three daughters, from right, Mami, Yukari and Reina, pose in front of his fire-damaged shop in Osaka’s Abeno Ward. (Tomoyuki Suzuki)

OSAKA--A baker’s dream of finally opening his own shop was first delayed by the novel coronavirus pandemic and then crushed by a fire in the neighborhood.

But for the baker and his family, the Boulangerie Show must go on.

That is the name of the planned bakery shop of Shogo Kawabata, 56, in Osaka’s Abeno Ward.

He came up with the name as a play on the “Sho” part of his name and in hopes that the bakery will excite customers like a “show.”

Kawabata, who has been a baker for 38 years,  worked at a franchise bakery in a supermarket in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. But he was encouraged by his daughters to operate his own shop.

It was to be a family-operated business. The job titles and managerial roles were already decided for his three daughters, Mami, 27, Yukari, 25, and Reina, 23.

Boulangerie Show was initially scheduled to open in mid-April, but the spread of COVID-19 postponed the start of operations.

Before noon on May 5, four days before the rescheduled opening date, Kawabata was making bread on a trial basis when he smelled smoke.

He thought that he had burned bread in the oven, but when he went outside he saw a neighboring eating and drinking establishment on fire.

He used a fire extinguisher but the flames were too strong and spread to his shop.

The ceiling collapsed and all the expensive cooking equipment, including an oven, were ruined.

The blaze burned down four buildings.

That night, Kawabata and his three daughters gathered at Mami’s house nearby.

On Instagram, they received many comments, such as “Are you all right?” or “I am really worried.”

They had already distributed 30,000 fliers about the new shop around the neighborhood, and many residents were looking forward to attending the opening.

On Instagram, Kawabata posted, “It is now difficult to make plans to open the shop. … Honestly, it is very frustrating.”

But he also posted a picture of himself and his three daughters smiling.

“I still won’t give up,” he wrote. “I want to overcome this difficulty. I will be glad if you can wait for a little bit longer.”

FAMILY OPERATION

After Kawabata graduated from high school, he attended a confectionary vocational school. Since then, he has always worked as a baker.

At the bakery shop in Nishinomiya, his wife, Chiaki, worked at the cash register. But after battling cancer for many years, she died six years ago.

Following her death, the three daughters started to help him at the bakery.

They developed a deep respect for their father because he took the job very seriously, including waking up around 3 a.m. every day to prepare for work.

“When I was working at the cash register, I saw him kneading the dough from behind,” Mami said. “I had tears in my eyes.”

His daughters later pushed their father to realize his longtime dream of owning a bakery shop.

Kawabata borrowed 30 million yen ($286,230) for the endeavor. But after the fire, he received only 1.3 million yen in insurance money and compensation for lost earnings.

He sought financial support through crowdfunding, with a goal of receiving 2.5 million yen.

But with the additional publicity provided by nearby shops, he obtained 13.08 million yen by the end of July.

“I am impressed by their support because they have never eaten our bread before,” Yukari said.

The family says the recommended products of the bakery will be premium lavish raw bread, which can also be toasted, and apple pies with a crunchy texture.

“I appreciate the encouragement from people that I have never talked to before,” Kawabata said. “I would like to do my best to meet their expectations.”

He aims to open Boulangerie Show in October or November.

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