Mission Beach cafe GLOWS set to open early September at raw materials centre

A rejuvenated Far North raw materials depot is being transformed into a trendy outdoor community space featuring retail and a cafe with the potential for a bar. Find out where.

A REJUVENATED raw materials centre is shaping up as a trendy community centre featuring landscaping retail, gardening displays and a new cafe at Mission Beach.

Mission Beach’s Shane Gee and Nancy Lowe took over the lease at the former raw materials depot on Tully Mission Beach Rd in February and began operating their business – GLOWS – about Easter.

Mr Gee, who has a landscaping business, and Ms Lowe, a long-term tourism operator have been spending their weekends transforming the site into a space that “will inspire” locals’ gardens.

Ms Lowe said the core of the business was a garden retail centre, but it would always continue to develop.

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“We’d love to see functions there, we’ll be creating that sort of space and garden clubs from.

“Over time, maybe we can make a space for tradies to stop in for a drink in the afternoon, and be outdoors in the nature.”

Ms Lowe and Mr Gee had already created a space for Mission Beach resident and communications professional Japel Napper who will be operating a cafe out of a permanent food truck inside the centre called GLOWS Cafe.

The cafe is set to open early September with Ms Napper praising Ms Lowe for her guidance.

“I bought the van and thought this would be great, but wasn’t really sure what to do with it,” Ms Napper said.

“I just knew, with my work, I didn’t want to be travelling out of town so that’s when I thought ‘right, it’s time to start my own business’.

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“And Nancy just took me under her wing, she’s a great motivator, and just over a weekend set up a space for me inside the centre.”

Ms Napper’s cafe will feature Tattooed Sailor beans in the coffee and a “boutique” breakfast and lunch menu.

“Food-wise I can’t help but tap into my Greek heritage, so you’ll see some Mediterranean flavours woven through the food.

“But I also wanted to look at what our hero produce is here – and that’s Bingil Bay Beef.

“So I’ve created a braised, slow-cooked smoky pulled beef roll.”

Ms Napper said she’d already hosted some private dinners and functions as trials at the centre and was hoping to expand her business beyond its proposed seven-days-a-week, breakfast-and-lunch operation.

“And we’re going to set up a drive-through system, you can order online and we’ll run it out to you.”

Originally published as Mission Beach cafe GLOWS set to open early September at raw materials centre