Cafe’s story of luck, kindness, and coffee
Wellington has no shortage of inner city cafes, and they’ve all had their share of struggles during Covid-19.
The story of Goldmine Co is one of incredibly bad luck, extraordinarily kind people, and a love of good food.
The cafe, which opened on January 16, is the first business venture of young Wellington-born, French-trained chef Graeme Corlett.
The spot on the corner of Willis and Dixon streets was perfect, and the sale went through only days before the story broke about the city’s sewage pipe problem in Wellington.
The problem hit a lot closer to home when a water pipe burst right outside the door of the cafe on Christmas Day.
‘‘We didn’t know it was right outside until we came in, and realised, ‘‘Oh, that’s where it was,’’ Corlett said.
The road was closed for about two months, and there was huge noise and disruption outside, but they took the opportunity to close, fully clean, and renovate the cafe.
‘‘Nobody could see us, but it meant we could do all the reno without causing a fuss,’’ he said, relentlessly positive.
Friends helped with building, plumbing, and electrical alterations to give the interior of the cafe a whole new fit-out.
His identical twin brother, a commercial artist in Sydney, came over to give the place a facelift with a new wall mural.
Their mum, Helen Schafer, came down from Tauranga to paint, plaster, and clean, and would be turning her hand to sewing seat cushions as soon as she could get the material.
‘‘You could see the restaurant every time the pipe was reported on TV,’’ she said.
‘‘My goodness, it was like a Gordon Ramsay restaurant rescue with the amount of dirt and sludge behind the equipment.’’
The chaos outside brought a surprising new customer base as road workers stopped in for coffee and brunch.
Repairs on the water pipe were completed at the end of March, but by that stage the country was in lockdown.
To help out, the landlord, who also owned the premises for Pickle and Pie, waived Corlett’s rent for four weeks, and all his staff were sticking with him.
Corlett had been cooking for the past six years, starting on a holiday to France when he worked in a bar, became a waiter, did some brewing, and was then put in the kitchen.
He returned to Sydney, kept cooking, and married a woman he’d met in France before moving back to Wellington.
Despite the saturation of cafes in Wellington, Corlett was keen to return to his old stomping ground and give it a go.
‘‘I think I needed all the help I could get, and growing up in Wellington I know where things are and things made sense a little bit more. In hindsight it might have been too big, too underprepared, but it’s fun.’’
His desire for a cosy, light-filled location was important for making the cafe an inviting gathering place.
‘‘I’m going for the French thing,’’ he said, in feel and in food.
Corlett was offering free coffee to essential workers during level 3, and has stripped back his menu to provide affordable food deals for takeout and delivery.
‘‘I just thought it would be a nice thing to do,’’ he said. ‘‘I realised through lockdown we really love what we do, cooking and making coffee.’’
When the cafe opened for level 3 last week it was ‘‘another confusing day’’ with apps failing and new rules to follow. But customers were ‘‘sensible’’, and Corlett’s staff, working in teams of three or four, were relishing the opportunity to try out their new menu. They were using the Regulr app, like many cafes, to offer contactless pickup for food and coffee.
His focus wasn’t on making a big profit, but on keeping his staff in work and doing what they love.
As a new business owner he’s trying to use the time to read and get advice, at home only 10 minutes down the road from the cafe.
‘‘It’s going to be a very valuable experience going through all this.’’