Timber Door Cellars toasts opening as brewer neighbour Valhalla moves on from Union St

A Geelong laneway that welcomed a new wine bar over the weekend is set for further change following the departure of two hospitality venues within a short period.

Timber Door Cellars opened its doors on Friday, much to the delight of Emily Free, manager Leah Whitfield and Claudia Free. Picture: Mark Wilson.

A Geelong CBD laneway is set for a makeover after a pair of hospitality businesses ditched the city for the suburbs.

Timber Doors Cellars opened its doors on Friday night, having replaced fellow wine bar Union Street Cellars, which closed its doors last month.

Nearby boutique brewery Valhalla has decided to focus solely on its Federal Mills operation in North Geelong.

Timber Door Cellars manager Leah Whitfield described the bar as having a “new name, new faces, same venue”.

“We’re super excited, it feels like it has been a long process, we’re very keen to see all the effort we have put in be put to use,” she said.

“(We are) looking forward to welcoming and meeting everyone who had a part of Union Street Wine (Cellars) over the years.”

Ms Whitfield’s parents, Dale and Sandra, who run Timber Door Luxury Accommodation on Gheringhap St, purchased the venue.

“(They) bought the bar because they have always had a love for creating a relaxing environment for the community and are hoping to extend to other locations in the future,” Ms Whitfield said.

“Is there more of a perfect combination than a luxury accommodation and a luxury stylish wine bar? We think not.”

Union Cellars has turned its focus to its Herne Hill outlet, located on Minerva Road.

Valhalla owner Scott Hunt said the business could have run both the CBD and North Geelong locations if the economy was “booming”.

“We can’t really make it work with our limited resources,” he said.

“We’ve had an awesome time, we love it and we’re really sad that we can’t keep going, we’re going to miss the place terribly.”

Mr Hunt said that over the business’ five-and-a-half years history at Union St, regular customers had become to feel more like friends.

“We’ve had some great times, it’s been an awesome space for us to take our business to the next level,” he said.

Union St, Geelong. Picture: Brad Fleet.

Sandwiched between the two Union St locations is Lipari, which on Friday was announced as Geelong Advertiser’s best Italian restaurant.

The state government plans to create a link between Union and Market streets, having acquired the former homes of Noodle Box and Curls & Swirls at 184-186 Ryrie St.

The $2.3m project has been delayed by 12 months, according to this year’s budget documents.

Originally published as Timber Door Cellars toasts opening as brewer neighbour Valhalla moves on from Union St