Creative hub booms
BUSINESS owner Ian Tunbridge wants the rest of the Far North to come to Gordonvale and see what good oldfashioned community spirit can do for a town.
Since opening his cafe Trolley Coffee more than three years ago with Mandy Price, Mr Tunbridge has, with the help of customers and other business owners, helped breathe new life into a formerly abandoned part of town. From hosting art exhibitions to a new handmade market in the adjacent Bryce’s Arcade, Gordonvale’s creative community now has a spot where they can collaborate and mingle.
By the end of March, a new book exchange and cafe, which will trade into the late afternoon, will open.
It is Mr Tunbridge’s latest project and the corresponding renovation of the block next door has attracted three new small businesses to set up shop in the space.
“It’s right next door to the cafe and it’s got an upstairs area so it will be a place for people to chill out and read books and drink coffee. We’re going to have local clubs use that space as well,” he said.
“There’s another upcycle/ recycle shop going in, a house, boat and yacht interior designer with her own line of handmade goods and a small beautician will go in, too.
“There are no beauticians left in Gordonvale, so that will fit in well.
“It’s turned into a real little creative hub – there was nothing there when we got here.”
Aside from the extensions and the market, which is growing in popularity, Mr Tunbridge also has plans for an archaeological dig in Trolley Coffee’s car park.
“It’s a pretty old spot so who knows what we’ll find there,” he said.
“I think everyone should come out to Gordonvale and see what good community spirit can do for a town.
“It’s become a quirky little outlet for art producers and others who have their own handmade businesses. It’s probably something a lot of other smaller towns should do to attract visitors.”