On Sunday, October 20th, the NLNA History Committee hosted its second North Loop history walk. This walk covered the early history (1940s-50s) of the North Loop business district from Avenue F to where The Commune now sits at 101 E North Loop Blvd.
Highlights of the walk included:
- The Swedish origins of early Avenue F and North Loop Blvd residents
- North Loop Blvd’s claim to fame as the set for the 1987 Jeff Bridges movie, Nadine, principally shot in front of (now) Bravado Dog Grooming and Room Service Vintage (see picture below!)
- The history of Room Service Vintage, including:
- Its past as a thriving grocery store, Tak Hom Foods, owned by the Wong family
- Its transformation into a pharmacy in later years, prior to becoming Room Service in 1981
- The Commune, 101 E North Loop Blvd, as the original home of Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery, which opened in 1951 selling wedding cakes, party cakes, and cookies
Photos of the North Loop business district from this era can be found in this Google Drive folder prepared by the History Committee. Additionally, an excerpt from the discussion of Mrs. Johnson’s bakery can be read below, and more of our neighborhood history can be found on this webpage.
Stay tuned for announcements of future history walks as the NLNA uncovers and expands further on the history of our unique neighborhood.
Excerpt from the Walk: Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery
101 East North Loop Blvd. has long represented a sweet spot in the heart of our neighborhood, most recently because The Commune frequently hosts many notable events here, including our monthly neighborhood association meetings. However, from the early 1950s until the late 1970s, this location was the primary location of Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery, a local family-owned business that sold baked goods all over Austin.
Like several other businesses in today’s presentation, the bakery had links to immigrant families. The bakery was named after Hilda E. Johnson—born in Sweden in February 1883. Her family immigrated to the U.S. in 1888, settling in Hutto (Williamson County) in 1900. She and her husband, John E. Johnson, had five children.
Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery was named by two of Hilda’s children involved in the business, Howard and Helen. Howard Johnson married Evelyn Smith, daughter of Albert F. Smith. Howard and Evelyn lived in Ridgetop near her parents, and some of Albert’s entrepreneurial spirit may have influenced his son-in-law.
By 1946, Howard had a wholesale business called the Howard E. Johnson Cookie Company on the Georgetown Road (now known as N. Lamar) just north of Denson Drive. The bakery also sold cakes. That same year, sister Helen married Howard Stiegler, a veteran who recently returned from the war. At the time of his marriage, Stiegler was employed by the Austin branch of the Lone Star Biscuit Company. By the early 1950s, Johnson and Stiegler combined their baker expertise to become partners doing business as Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery. The Stieglers also lived in Ridgetop.
Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery held the formal opening for their new location on North Loop the third week of December 1951. They listed their specialties as wedding cakes, party cakes, and cookies. In recognition of the season, they gave away deluxe fruit cakes throughout their grand opening. By 1953, additions to their advertised wares included pies, pastries, breads, rolls, cupcakes & donuts. Items seem oddly affordable by today’s standards, with cinnamon rolls offered then at 40 cents per dozen.
In February 1956, the owners opened a new venture called Mrs. Johnson’s Donut Shop at 4909 Airport Blvd. Advertising for the new shop touted 26 varieties of donuts, as well as a reminder to visit the bakery shop on North Loop or one of several affiliated bakery counters located in local grocers, such as Checker Front here on North Loop Blvd. By the following year, the donut shop boasted having made and sold 4 million donuts in 1956 (in a city with only 150,000 population.)
By 1957, Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery was an ever-growing business operating on North Loop, 12 supermarket bakery departments, and the donut shop on Airport. To meet increased demand, the owners broke ground on an additional 7,000 square feet combination plant and retail department located on Koenig Lane and Woodrow Avenue (1303 W Koenig Lane, current location of The Pearl Apartments).
Howard Johnson died in February 1973, and the bakery market in Austin continued to evolve. Mrs. Johnson’s probably faced increased competition from large grocery chains, such as HEB, who were less dependent on companies like Mrs. Johnson’s for product. The North Loop location of Mrs. Johnson’s closed in the late 1970s, and the Koenig store closed in the late 1980s. Howard Stiegler died in 1993.
Nonetheless, Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery on Airport continued on as a beloved, historic donut shop, until it closed temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic. The shop has undergone changes in ownership, and there were rumors that it was undergoing remodeling with plans for reopening. However, its future at this point is not clear.
North Loop Neighborhood Association 