When Preacher Lawson started work as a comedian 14 years ago, the stage at Austin’s Coffee helped strengthen his chops at stand-up during its weekly Comedy Night.

Years later when the Winter Park fixture for arts and entertainment was threatened with closure, Lawson joined two others to buy and relocate it. His role was quiet at first, but Austin’s new management revealed it this week as the shop prepares to shut its doors on Saturday night at its longtime 929 W. Fairbanks Ave. home.

A week later, on Nov. 1, Austin’s is eyeing a soft opening at its new 2240 W. Fairbanks Ave. location — about a mile west of its current site near Interstate 4.

“I just wanted to make sure Austin’s is OK,” Lawson told the Sentinel on Tuesday in his first interview about it. “It’s really a pillar for com

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