The owners of Scratch Baking Co., at 416 Preble St. in South Portland, have announced they plan to close down immediately after Christmas for renovations and will not reopen until early February.

Scratch Baking Co. in South Portland will close for renovations after Christmas. John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

The front, or customer, part of the popular bakery — which opened 18 years ago and is known and loved for its bagels, breads, cakes, breakfast pastries and desserts —will be reconfigured to improve its flow. Work will also be done on the back of the building, where the baking happens, according to the announcement on social media. The renovations include the addition of a door, and a new central coffee station that will allow for customer flow on both sides. “Bagels, breads, pastries, and savories will be along the perimeter, and we will be serving those items to you,” the announcement said. “It will be light, bright and hopefully easy to get your goods.”

Christmas Eve will be the last day the bakery will be open in 2021. While the front-of-house renovations are going on, customers can get their bagel fix, and other Scratch goods, at the former Toast Bar at 207 Broadway, which is also owned by Scratch. The Toast Bar closed in late 2019 because of a labor shortage and has not been open since.