New cafe opens in Brisbane’s ‘Village of the Damned’ precinct

A hospitality operator in Brisbane is taking a gamble on setting up a new cafe in a site of so many multiple failed venues it has been labelled the Village of the Damned.

The Nundah Village has seen multiple eateries go under with The Coffee Club the last business to have a go at the site which has been vacant for seven months.

The precinct has around a dozen vacancy signs on show, but Priscilla Williams and her business partner Boaz Keeda are hoping their new café Jabiru will buck the trend.

Williams has another venue in Post Office Square, and did a lot of lot research before signing on for the latest lease including crunching the numbers on penalty rates, something she hadn’t had to consider with her other business which only operates Monday to Friday.

“Before I even signed the lease I reached out on social media to all the Nundah locals to see what they wanted and the popular responses were a kids corner, pet friendly and healthy options,” Williams told The Courier Mail.

“This was empty for a long time so I hope we are able to provide what Coffee Club couldn’t and that includes being licensed and a Sunday sessions where local talent can showcase their skills.

“I know Nundah has a tight-knit community who look out for each other and I think the village needs some positivity and so far the feedback has been positive.”

Sheridan Randall, 16^th December 2019