Alstonville, Lennox Head: The exciting new Ballina Shire businesses to open
There’s been a flurry of activity in the Ballina Shire just before Christmas, with a number of new businesses opening, including a new bookstore cafe.
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Now is the season to shop local, and while many of us were watching Netflix during lockdown, there were a number of entrepreneurs working hard to achieve their business dreams.
Among them is a one-of-a-kind bookstore, an Asian fusion option and many more.
Here’s a guide to some of the new places that are opening up in the Ballina Shire:
MILES AND HENRY BOOKSTORE CAFE
80 Main St, Alstonville
Years of travelling the globe and visiting bookstores spurred Alstonville writer Kerry Tolson to follow her own bibliophilic dreams.
Miles and Henry Bookstore Cafe is Ms Tolson’s ode to places such as Shakespeare and Company where she recalls spending every day of her Parisian trip, or a Katmandu bookshop she once came across, jam-packed with novels.
“You would sit in these gorgeous little corners just covered in books and I always thought ‘oh my gosh’ I’d love to have this one day,” she said.
“My dream is to be able to have events here for author talks, chapter readings, poetry readings- an inspiration for people to come and write and be creative.”
The bookshop has an upcycled, hand-picked design featuring new and preloved books, gifts and eventually a cafe.
Ms Tolson hoped it would fill the bookstore-sized hole the Alstonville community had in their hearts.
“Alstonville has been my community for 30 years,” she said.
“Someone told me my vision would suit Brunswick or whatever and I said, ‘no it’s coming to Alstonville because Alstonville is my community’.
“I wanted to give back to Alstonville with something really lovely. Not just a retail experience but a destination experience.”
That same passion for literature is evident in the bookstore’s name itself — a tribute to “audacious” writers Miles Franklin and Henry Hendel Richardson.
“I wanted to pay homage to them, not just as amazing groundbreaking Australian female writers but to powerful women who stand tall and stand strong,” Ms Tolson said.
The store is open Wednesday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, Saturdays 9am-2.30pm and Sundays 10am to 2.30pm.
Collective Autonomy
Epiq marketplace, Lennox Head
This new retailer is hoping to educate residents about sustainability one small change at a time.
Collective Autonomy, launched by Kim Coupe, opened in early November in Lennox Head.
The eco-conscious store focuses on sustainable giftware, homeware and more – inspired by Ms Coupe’s own path to a low-waste lifestyle.
Even the store’s fit-out is made of recycled materials and second-hand furniture, including the till.
For Ms Coupe, the store was about inspiring residents to try their hand at a low-waste life.
“I’m just really passionate about getting the word out there and changing your life just a little bit,” she said.
“There is a quote by Anne Marie Tonneau, ‘We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly’.
“I know that zero waste can seem daunting and unattainable but every purchase counts.
“Customers can either choose to be supporting inequality, fast fashion etc through their purchases, or they can put their money into a local person/small business who is making products or art consciously.”
Ms Coupe also had a focus on local eco-friendly business.
MR TIPSY’S
76 Ballina St, Lennox Head
Mr Tipsy’s is the love child of industry professionals Peter Walker and Ben Taylor.
Bursting onto the Lennox Head scene, the restaurant delivers on a burst of flavours from across Asia said Mr Walker.
“The menu is designed with love and dedication assuring there is something for everyone,” he said.
Signature favourites include Tipsy’s special fried rice, Japanese savoury pancakes and mouth watering fried chicken bao.
For the sweet tooth, tantalising options include crispy mars bar wontons while cocktails such as kamikaze blackberry sour and Vietnamese espresso martinis live up to the restaurant’s name.
“Kick the sand off your feet and let us take you on a culinary adventure across Asia,” Mr Walker said.
“Who knows. Mr Tipsy himself might even grace you with his presence and spin a yarn or two.”
Opening hours are Monday — Sunday, 4pm until late.
Hey Lady Diner
This work in progress will see some fresh life pumped into a Ballina favourite.
Brewsters Cafe, which has been a River St staple since 1989, was put up for lease in November but the hotspot couldn’t stay vacant for long.
Renovations are already underway, thanks to Hey Lady creator Jacqui McCoach, and promises something new that pays “respect to the old.”
The team hope to reopen the spot in 2022 and in the meantime you can check out progress on their Instagram.
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