Mount Gambier coffee shop, The Tuck Shop, announces closure amid ‘saturated’ coffee and cafe scene

Owners of a popular Mount Gambier cafe have announced they will be closing and pursuing other endeavours amid the city’s highly saturated coffee and cafe market.

After three successful years in business proving Mount Gambier with highly regarded coffee and bites, The Tuck Shop, has announced they will cease regular trading at the end of April. Picture: Facebook.

A popular coffee shop near Mount Gambier’s iconic Blue Lake will be closing up shop for the last time this weekend after three years in business.

The owners say they hope this move will help other local businesses in the cafe trade amid Mount Gambier’s “saturated” coffee and cafe market.

The Tuck Shop by Soul Projects has been providing delicious coffee and treats to the Mount Gambier community since 2021.

Nestled in the hills up by Mount Gambier’s Blue Lake, it has become a popular pit-stop for people searching for food away from the city’s main street.

On April 17, the businesses’ owners, Kirby and Biddie Shearing, announced they had made the “hard decision” to close full time operations at The Tuck Shop as of April 28.

The Tuck Shop owners, Biddie and Kirby Shearer and their son. Picture: Facebook.

The Shearings said even though they’re ceasing full-time operations at The Tuck Shop,
they will continue to offer pop-ups at the space and food for the local school across the road. Picture: Facebook.

Mr and Ms Shearing said their decision to close was in part due to the saturated cafe and coffee market currently present in Mount Gambier.

They said they had found a new place in the evening trade sector through their restaurant Elementary by Soul Co and long standing catering business Soul Projects (established in 2012) and hoped that by closing their coffee shop, they’d help make way for other businesses in the community.

“This has been a hard decision but one we have reflected on with gratitude and a full heart,” the pair said.

“We hope this will help our hospitality community in the cafe trade.”

The Shearings first launched The Tuck Shop in January 2021 at what they thought was the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The couple said they initially opened the shop “to keep staffing, however with the revolving door that is hospitality, this has been more of a training ground for many going on to broader opportunities in and out of the region, in and out of hospitality”.

Over the past 3 years, The Tuck Shop grew from a catering space to coffee shop to a regular host of pop-up dinners and take-outs.

The Shearings said even though they’re ceasing full-time operations at The Tuck Shop, they will continue to offer pop-ups at the space in the future and encourage their customers to keep an eye on their business page for exciting developments – they will also continue to cater lunches for the nearby Reidy Park Primary School.

“It’s time for us to focus on the future of our big little company and we look forward to serving you for many more years to come,” the couple said.

“See you soon for version 2.0.”