Meet the business owners who have joined the retail boom on Brisbane’s bayside
From owners of flashy bars and restaurants to bra shops and pinball halls – meet the people who have helped the business scene on Brisbane’s bayside explode.
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What used to be Brisbane’s best kept secret has exploded into one of the city’s fastest growing areas – meet the business owners who helped make that happen.
In the past three years Brisbane’s bayside suburbs of Wynnum and Manly have gone through a development and retail boom never seen before in the area’s history.
Even a global pandemic could not slow the region’s progress.
While new residential or commercial developments have been popping up constantly, shopfronts and retail sites have continued to fill as well with more than 20 businesses opening since last year.
And even though Manly has been a popular strip for business owners for more than a decade, Wynnum was previously known for its ‘for lease’ signs and rundown CBD.
Not any more. Wynnum Business general manager David Bateson said there were four or five empty shopfronts in the suburb’s CBD now, compared with more than 30 in 2018.
Councillor for Wynnum Manly Peter Cumming (ALP) said retailers and business owners had confidence in the area because of the amount of developments which had been built in the bayside, resulting in an influx of residents, especially younger families.
See the people behind the bayside’s newest business.
WYNNUM KEBABS, BURGERS AND SHAKES (Wynnum)
Sid Ahuja and his partner decided to join the rush of new retailers hitting the bayside after visiting Wynnum and realising there weren’t many late-night food options in the suburb.
The business will serve authentic Greek-style kebabs as well as what Mr Ahuja described as “finger licking” burgers and shakes, starting from November 10 at 135 Edith St.
Mr Ahuja said they noticed Wynnum was one of the fastest growing suburbs in Brisbane, with a trend of young families moving into the area.
SONNY JIM (Wynnum)
Karen Bradford is bringing men’s fashion back to Wynnum for the first time since the iconic DBS Menswear closed in 2019.
Ms Bradford opened the doors to her new shop Sonny Jim, which stocks clothing, accessories and gifts, in July this year at 109 Edith St.
“I’ve lived in the area for 15 years, my children went to local schools and I’ve always felt Wynnum is Brisbane’s best kept secret,” Ms Bradford said when she opened Sonny Jim.
“Now, the secret is out and Wynnum is quickly gaining pace as the destination for new arrivals to, and from across Brisbane.
“The time felt right and I took the plunge.”
MULTIBALL MANIA (Wynnum)
Building on their already heavy influence in Wynnum, Justin Ham —as well as Olga and Richard Faatape — have added to it with the opening of the suburb’s first pinball hall in June.
The venue features 22 pinball machines, two arcade multiplayer games, a licensed bar.
It works off free play, with an entry fee.
Multiball Mania is another part of Mr Ham’s and his family business’, Hambros Pty Ltd, more than $70 million investment in Wynnum.
It includes the Waterloo Bay Hotel, the Wynnum Cinema and more.
It is the third business in the CBD for the Faatape’s after The Fat Duck, Mr Hibachi and Fun Fit Play.
CHOCOLATE ELEMENTS (Wynnum)
Chocolate Elements, a Belgian couverture chocolate store, could be one of the tastiest businesses to launch in the hot new bayside retail precinct after the doors swung open in May.
Owned by self-proclaimed “chief chocolate elf” Dawn Goodall and her partner, Phil Hardimam, Chocolate Elements is situated in the heart of the rising Wynnum CBD at 81A Edith St.
“As bayside residents, we wanted to provide the local community a new and exciting store offering something different, a new and unique chocolate experience,” Ms Goodall said.
“It’s a place where you can see chocolates made on site and learn about the science behind chocolate making.
“Our future plans will include introducing speciality hot chocolate, vegan and dairy free range, blending unique Australian flavours as well as educational classes in the basics of chocolate making.”
COFFEE N BRICKS (Wynnum)
Baysider Carmen Klitscher combined a childhood favourite with the beverage adults love most to create Wynnum’s only venue of its kind.
Ms Klitscher opened her new cafe, Coffee n Bricks, in the heart of Wynnum CBD on Bay Tce in June.
The cafe is Brisbane’s first cafe where customers can use LEGO bricks and build their favourite structures while enjoying a coffee.
Ms Klitscher, who is new to the hospitality industry, has years of experience volunteering for various community groups.
She has worked at Redlands Hospital and said she hoped the cafe gave the area something different.
THE WILD FOX CAFE (Wynnum)
Former Sydney-based artist Qu Starling thought Wynnum was the perfect place for his unique idea, The Wild Fox Cafe, launched in November.
The former hairdresser opened the cafe, which is a bubble tea and banh mi (Vietnamese bread roll) shop, after spending three months renovating the site so he could display his artwork on the walls.
“I decided to bring all the things I like in my life, that is why we are having the only bubble tea shop in Wynnum as well as Banh Mi,” Mr Starling said.
MAJESTIC CINEMAS WYNNUM (Wynnum)
Launching their ninth location around the country and making history as the operators of the long-awaited Wynnum cinema, Majestic Cinemas CEO Kieren Dell is also helping revitalise the area.
Majestic shared the approximately $8 million cost, along with Ham Bros/Berrima Develop Pty Ltd.
Back in February, Mr Dell said he wanted to invest in Wynnum because he believed it was an area “crying out” for a cinema.
COCO CHELSEA NAILS AND BEAUTY (Wynnum)
The bayside’s newest beauty parlour is the brainchild of Vy Phan, who comes from three generations of family members working in the industry and has more than 15 years experience herself.
Ms Phan grew up in the US in a family involved in the beauty industry before moving to Australia at 17.
She fell in love with doing nails and providing beauty services.
“In the midst of Covid-19 and being unsure of when lockdowns would occur, I took the risk and moved to Queensland from Sydney earlier this year to fulfil my dream of opening my own business, which I have done so here in Wynnum,” she said.
THE FAT DUCK/Mr HIBACHI (Wynnum)
Olga and Richard Faatape are behind two venues which have helped Wynnum’s nightlife come alive over the past year.
The Fat Duck and Mr Hibachi, on Wynnum’s Bay Tce, have kept the strip as vibrant as ever.
The Fat Duck replaced Bay Tce Seafood and Sushi, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is a tapas and wine bar with street dining and drinking, while Mr Hibachi is an Australian and Japanese fusion restaurant which also features an espresso bar.
Both businesses, which opened in December last year, have been visited by the likes of ‘The King’ Wally Lewis and helped kick off an influx of bars and restaurants in the area.
MANLY BOATHOUSE (Manly)
They already had a hugely popular seafood restaurant in Newstead, but early this year Nikki and Greg Kay gave the iconic Wilson’s Boathouse on Manly’s waterfront a major facelift by turning it into the even more popular Manly Boathouse.
Mr and Mrs Kay, who also own the Reef Seafood and Sushi, won the tender for the site, taking over the venue from previous owner Neil Jedid who had been there for 18 years.
The couple has been in the seafood industry for 15 years and previously ran butcheries as well.
They also own a commercial crab and fishing boat and supply much of the restaurant with their own catch.
Chef Braden White (ex-Miss Moneypenny’s and The Apo) is the restaurant’s head chef.
THE ARSONIST (Manly)
Igniting Brisbane’s bayside with new fire-powered restaurant, The Arsonist, is boutique hospitality group The Consortium Qld.
Also based on the bayside, The Consortium Qld opened the 80-seat luxe dining and speciality bar, where everything is cooked over the flame, along The Esplanade at Manly in June.
The Arsonist, led by head chef Kyle Bradley, is the group’s second venue in the area after opening Tide on the Jetty, which is located on the William Gunn Jetty, in 2016.
The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and a feasting menu, with a focus on local produce from Stockyard OP beef dry-aged in house to slow-cooked organic lamb.
The Consortium Qld employs more than 30 staff and has an annual turnover of $2.5 million.
MULTIHULL SOLUTIONS (Manly)
Bucking the trend of bars and restaurants making up most of the bayside’s new businesses is Multihull Solutions and The Yacht Sales Co.
Increasing demand for yachts led to the opening of the company’s new sales centre at 2/461 The Esplanade, Manly in February.
The new office is the base for both companies’ sales teams, who represent the world’s leading new boat multihull and monohull brands.
It is run by a team of industry specialists including Adam McKay, Anna Wallace and Andrew de Bruin.
CENTRAL BUSINESS ASSOCIATES (Manly)
The business offers leadership and mentoring support for micro, small and start-up businesses and opened their newest location in Manly this year.
Owner Celia Newlands had been based in Wynnum since starting the business in 2015 but recently secured a long-term lease in Manly.
“After a short period in the new workspace, a group of us were able to find a fantastic building to move to on a long-term lease, allowing us to settle into a collaborative haven,” Ms Newlands said on her website.
“We are just along the road, in the beautiful Manly Harbour Village, with yet another stunning view.”
BAYSIDE ADMIN (Manly)
After holding a variety of office, bookkeeping and account management roles in the past two decades, Lauren Micale launched Bayside Admin in Manly earlier this year.
Now as the chief virtual assistant and bookkeeper of Bayside Admin, Ms Micale is helping people run their office and their business smoothly.
Bayside Admin is a virtual assistant service offering remote admin, bookkeeping and personal assistant services to small and medium-sized businesses around Australia.
NURTURING CONFIDENCE (Manly)
Amy Jackson is a professional coach, speaker and facilitator who moved her business, Nurturing Confidence, to Manly this year.
Ms Jackson started her business, which helps emerging leaders to gain more confidence, think more strategically and manage themselves more effectively, in 2006.
HUDSON BREWING (Wynnum)
Another new bar in Wynnum which has quickly become a favourite among locals and visitors to the bayside is Hudson Brewing.
Pouring its first beer just before Christmas in 2020, Hudson Brewing is the brainchild of passionate brewer Richard Hudson, his wife Sarah, and his loved blue heeler, Magoo.
Before opening the venue, at 18 Gibbs St, Mr Hudson said his mission was to give Wynnum a local connection with the popular brewing scene across Australia.
The beers on tap at Hudson Brewing include a lager, clockwork pale ale, an IPA, a session ale and a summer ale.
The venue is flooded with customers on the weekend as food trucks outside Hudson Brewing give customers the access to food while enjoying a cold beer.
LE BUSTE (Wynnum)
Having run her lingerie business from home for four years, Andria Copp finally decided to open up her own shop. She chose Wynnum’s CBD to do it.
Ms Copp opened the doors to Le Buste, a professional bra fittings shop, on Edith St in June this year, taking over two rooms to create a boutique and separate fitting room.
“I wanted to create a luxe, private, and highly personal experience in a safe space where everyone felt welcome and heard,” she told Wynnum Business after opening the store.
Having worked in many different roles including admin and accounting to working in travel, Ms Copp has also managed podiatry clinics and assisted a local naturopath.
She also said she has gone by several nicknames in the past, including ‘My Tit Doctor’ to ‘The Boob Queen’ and ‘The Bra Lady’.
EVOXIA PHYSIO (Wynnum)
Working in the allied health industry for a decade, including managing a clinic of eight physiotherapists in Greenslopes, Alex Filips joined more than 20 other business owners by starting her own clinic in the heart of Wynnum’s CBD in September.
Ms Filips, who completed her Bachelor of Physiotherapy at Australian Catholic University, treats all musculoskeletal disorders including sports injuries, aches and pains, tendinopathies and headaches, as well as developing programs for osteoporosis management.
According to her website, Ms Filips has a special interest in ergonomics and workplace wellness programs and has worked closely with distribution centres, steel factories and recruitment agencies.
MATILDA THE ART OF GELATO (Wynnum)
They may have already been part of the Wynnum community fabric but Rudy and Isabella, the owners of the bayside’s favourite gelato store, are new and improved after launching a new location in December last year.
The couple, who named the store after their daughter Matilda, moved from its former location on Edith St to the popular corner of Bay Tce and Florence St.
Matilda The Art of Gelato originally opened in 2018 after Rudy and Isabella moved from Italy to Wynnum.
BRISBANE PHYSIO CLINIC (Wynnum)
One of two new physiotherapy clinics to open in Wynnum over the past year, Brisbane Physio Clinic was opened on Bay Terrace by young brothers Gary and Fred Hsu in November last year.
Both are graduates of the University of Queensland and specialise in complex musculoskeletal conditions.
According to their profiles on the Brisbane Physio Clinic website, Gary has a passion for racquet sports such as tennis, table tennis and badminton while Fred’s interests are basketball, tennis and badminton.
Gary and Fred Hsu have two other members on their team at their Wynnum clinic, including a receptionist and podiatrist.
YOGA BAYSIDE (Wynnum)
The post Covid period has also seen two new yoga studios launch in Wynnum with one being YOGA Bayside, started by Dee Hughes.
Ms Hughes opened the doors to the studio on March 20 this year and wanted to make sure her business was one that made everyone feel welcome.
“It is a studio that offers a variety of yoga and pilates classes. Our classes and for all levels and everyone is welcome,” she said.
“We don’t care if you can’t touch your toes or don’t wear fancy leggings. We don’t take ourselves too seriously either and we like to have fun.
“I have been teaching classes for almost 15 years in Ireland, Sydney and Brisbane travelling all over to teach classes.
“I moved to Brisbane six years ago and fell in love with it. I live in Manly and it has been my dream to open a studio in this area.
“I wanted to create a friendly space where people felt welcomed, included and gave them a place to get away from their life stresses and the pressures they face with work, finances, relationships and life in general.
“YOGA Bayside is a place where you can come to find some breathing space and head space, a place relax and unwind.”
OAK & LOTUS (Wynnum)
Created by two mums with a huge vision, in Tenneille and Chelsea, Oak and Lotus is a Brisbane-based label, which launched a Wynnum store at the start of 2021.
Following the birth of her daughter in 2019, which was a surprise gender, Tenneille said her vision was to create a line full of neutral, versatile, affordable and reusable products that came to life and where originality and sustainability are a must.
“When I met Chelsea, an incredible mum-of-three with a vision like mine, we began planning a little on our brand, what it means to us and the areas of which we have expanded, including clothing, candles and decor, commemorative ranges, and so much more, we’ve never looked back,” Tenneille said on their website.
“With the creation of our own handmade and personally designed products grew our first store, and our brand.
“Oak and Lotus has been a well-nown boutique baby store in Brisbane coming onto our second year in business, what started out as a hobby, has become our passion.
“We’re proud to have produced many happy customers and with the opening of our store location in Brisbane’s beautiful bayside.”
STUDIO PULSE WYNNUM (Wynnum)
A family owned business, Studio Pulse opened on Wynnum’s growing Edith St scene in September lasy year.
Run by couple Lou and Stephen Townsend, who have been in the fitness industry for more than 20 years, Studio Pulse is now one of two yoga studios in the Wynnum CBD.
Mr and Mrs Townsend moved from Sydney with their three children seven years ago.
Mrs Townsend has been a fitness instructor as well as in other roles including business management and advisory while Mr Townsend is more involved in operations of the business after a long career history in managing fitness facilities with big brands.
“With our extensive fitness and business knowledge and expertise we are so happy that we could bring Studio Pulse to an amazing Wynnum community,” Mrs Tiownsend said.
LITTLE TOY TRIBE (Wynnum)
Sparked by their love for open-ended toys and the limitless possibilities of what they can be and what they will create, Brisbane couple Alison and Dion Barnhill started Little Toy Tribe on Bay Terrace earlier this year.
Alison, an early childhood educator turned stay at home mum and Dion, an electrician, are parents to two daughters started the store with the hopes of inspiring others to learn and create the way they do.
Little Toy Tribe opened its virtual doors online in April, 2019 before opening their store later.
“We opened our store stocking our most loved, tried and tested open ended toys and educational resources and now just a few years later we are proud to have expanded our range to stock over 100 brands from local Australian makers and around the world,” Alison said.
“We are proud to have opened a store front in the heart of our bayside community in Wynnum on Bay Terrace.
“It brings us so much joy to welcome new families into our store each week and see parents, carers, educators and children learn and engage in play with open ended toys and see the benefits that it incorporates into their child’s play.”
LIGHTHOUSE GENERAL PRACTICE (Wynnum)
Started by four doctors who became friends, the Lighthouse General Practice was anoher health centre opened in Wynnum’s CBD.
“We created Lighthouse GP to provide a warm, welcoming, community environment to practice Family Medicine with a sense of camaraderie,” it says on their website.
“We feel grateful to share this journey with you, to navigate the ups and downs of life and ensure you feel heard and validated along the way.”
The practice is at 72 Pine St, Wynnum.
SKIN REVOLUTION (Wynnum)
An experienced registered nurse and beauty therapist of more than 20 years have combined to bring Skin Revolution Australia to Wynnum.
Based at 181 Bay Tce in the heart of Wynnum’s CBD, Skin Revolution Australia provides a professional and confidential boutique service for women and men with registered nurse, Sarah, and beauty therapist, Brooke at the helm.
Sarah, who started her own clinic in 2018, provides a range of non-surgical minimally invasive cosmetic procedures including neuromodulators for wrinkle management, dermal fillers, polydioxanone threads, body contouring, platelet rich plasma, laser and light based therapies, chemical peels, microneedling, depigmentation treatments and cosmetic tattooing under the supervision of a medical doctor.
Brooke is a highly trained beauty therapist and make-up artist with 21 years experience with extensive knowledge and specialist skills, providing beauty treatments and therapies including advance skin therapy, dermal therapy and massage as well as hot stone therapie
FLEUR BY ELLIE (Wynnum)
Bringing a bright addition to the Wynnum CBD was new florist, Fleur By Ellie which launched next to Brisbane’s best bar in Cedar and Pine earlier this year.
Fleur By Ellie, a boutique florist and gift shop, has quickly become a favourite among locals offering stylish boquets and gift boxes for every occasion, as well as a range of ptted plants, unique scented candles and melts.
ZEN CURTAINS & BLINDS (Wynnum)
Already with a showroom in Chermside, Zen Curtains and Blinds added another location to their business after opening on Edith Street earlier this year.
The staff at Zen, led by Dave and Carolyn, have more than 20 years experience in the industry and make custom made curtains, blinds and shutters.
“We are passionate about interiors, and in particular window treatments,” Carolyn said.
“Creating beautiful interiors with the perfect window covering for our clients makes us happy. “We are a Brisbane-based, family owned and operated business, with over 20 years of experience working in the industry.
“Today, we are Zen Curtains and Blinds and the exclusive Gallery for Luxaflex north Brisbane and the southern bayside.
“We offer the full range of Luxaflex interior and outdoor solutions, along with our range of bespoke curtains.”
LANCELEY MARKETING (Manly)
Helping businesses refine their message, understand their ideal client, and ultimately to find their voice and build lasting client relationships, Michelle Lanceley engages with businesses to uncover their point of difference within their culture and their authentic purpose. It’s marketing, infinitely.
Ms Lanceley recently moved into a shared office space with other collaborative small businesses in Manly Harbour Village, and is also fulfilling her passion for sustainability and environmental conservation, through volunteering on the Moreton Bay Discovery Centre committee.
STEINART BRANDING DEVELOPMENT (Manly)
Kathryn Steinhardt has been a graphic designer for 20 years, running her own business since 2009.
SteinArt works with established businesses to refresh or rebrand their on and offline marketing collateral to suit their ideal target market, with professional and consistent brand management through all print, digital and social design.
SteinArt recently moved offices from Wynnum to a collaborative shared office space in Manly, and is also on the steering committee for Wynnum Commerce Inc, helping create a brand for locals to be proud of.
HELP ENTERPRISES (Wynnum)
Help Enterprises is a not for profit organisation and registered charity, which opened a Wynnum branch on Tingal Rd earlier this year.
Help Enterprises operate a range of businesses providing meaningful employment and support for people with disability.
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