Why Burleigh coffee icon Nook Espresso is shutting down
The Gold Coast’s favourite coffee break has turned to collective heartbreak as this beloved cafe closes the Nook on its Burleigh history.
Opinion
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It all happened in that long line beside the beach.
Romance bloomed. Couples split. Babies appeared. Loved ones were lost. Kids grew up and became employees. New friendships formed.
And for 15 years, Marcus Wilkins watched it all through his little window at Nook Espresso.
But now the Burleigh hole-in-the-wall, which launched not just our city’s cafe culture but an entire community, is about to close forever.
What was arguably the Gold Coast’s favourite coffee break has turned into collective heartbreak.
Even Mr Wilkins himself is shocked it’s so suddenly over.
The Nook founder, alongside co-owner Paola Pearse, will be serving last drinks on October 31, Halloween - although this is neither a trick nor a treat.
“We actually opened on a Black Friday … it was June 13 in 2008,” Mr Wilkins said.
“So we thought closing on Halloween made it a kind of full circle. Not that we had a lot of choice in the matter.”
Indeed, Nook has been living on borrowed time.
In August 2022, the business was forced to move from its, well, nook in The Burleigh Pavilion building to a small coffee cart at the Old Burleigh Theatre Arcade.
Then, last December, it moved to a shopfront inside the Arcade … even able to offer seating for the first time.
But Mr Wilkins said as much as they loved the location, it would never be their forever home with controversial plans to redevelop the building into a 14-storey, 36-unit complex.
Still, they didn’t realise it would end quite so soon.
“I got the call three weeks ago,” he said.
“I knew this was always going to happen, we were on a month-to-month lease, but it just seemed like it wouldn’t happen right now.
“With all of the light rail construction, we all figured the developers wouldn’t start until that was over. But here we are.”
Mr Wilkins said, as much as they loved their Burleigh Headland home base, neither he nor Ms Pearse wanted to find yet another local location.
Instead, Ms Pearse will focus on the Nook locations at Burleigh Stockland and Currumbin, while Mr Wilkins was pouring his heart into his new Nobby’s Beach cafe The Holliday.
“I think I’m done with Burleigh for now,” he said.
“I thought the Pavilion building was the best, but then this was even better - but add in the coffee cart location and this was already our plan C.
“We have had opportunities to go into James Street and some other locations nearby but none felt right … and it’s hard to keep your energy up to keep moving.
“In some ways, this was kind of a relief. It felt like we were camping, you could never make any firm future plans because it all could end at any moment. Which is exactly what happened.”
While closing Nook was never in his business plan, neither was its outrageous success.
Mr Wilkins and Ms Pearse first met while working at Saltbean Cafe in Kingscliff, and made the jump to opening their own business when that little hole in the wall opened up in Burleigh.
Although both at first planned something much bigger.
“We took the space on the premise that it would be temporary, we were going to build a proper cafe eventually,” Mr Wilkins said.
“As soon as we opened that little spot, everyone thought we were crazy.
“This was before takeaway coffee was even a thing on the Gold Coast. Back then it was all about sitting down and drinking from a ceramic mug with a slice of cake.
“Then there were issues creating the permanent cafe with the building’s old owner and we realised that what we were doing was really working.
“It was so simple, no dishes and few staff, and people just kept on coming. They would get their coffee and sit on the hill or watch the waves. It was the whole start of that coffee culture.
“I knew things were changing when I saw the tradies were swapping their arvo beers at the pub for a coffee on the headland. But that was the great thing about being takeaway, no one worried about how they looked or dressed - you could come in boardies or hi-vis. This was never about the so-called latte-sipping inner-city elite.
“I think the fact that we didn’t market to anyone meant we could market to everyone.”
As the cafe’s business grew in Burleigh, so too did its community.
Much like the eponymous bar in the sitcom Cheers, Nook became the place where everybody knew your name.
Mr Wilkins said the customer camaraderie at first confused him - after all, there was nowhere to sit - but he soon realised that Nook’s legendary long line was where connections were made.
“I like to think that waiting in that line never took too long, but it was long enough to meet people,” he said.
“Then the regulars started coming to get their coffee and they’d go sit on ‘the deck of wisdom’, as they called it.
“The way we live has changed and I think your local cafe becomes like your neighbourhood. It really is like Cheers.
“I’ve watched couples come in on first dates and now they have kids … and then those kids become employees.
“I have a 97-year-old lady who comes in every day, it’s part of her daily routine. I hate to not be a part of that anymore.
“I even have customers who say they bought property in this area just to be near Nook.
“Seeing that community come together for us when we had to leave the Pavilion was incredible, they have supported us so much. Even watching tourists go over to where we used to be, turn around and then spot us over the road and come over, that’s amazing.
“Anyone who says the Gold Coast doesn’t have culture and community hasn’t been to Nook.
“I could have happily stayed here another 20 years making coffee, but change is inevitable for us all.
“Besides, it’s a privilege to go out on a high rather than be cancelled … just like Cheers.”
With his sights now set on his Nobby Beach The Holliday venture, Mr Wilkins said he’s determined to replicate that Nook neighbourhood so beloved in Burleigh.
In fact, he’s doubling down on his investment in the area with partner Olivia Ayres.
With small bar king Scott Imlach having suddenly closed his new Japanese party-style restaurant Okawari House this month, Mr Wilkins said he was intending to take over the head lease of the space, which included The Holliday Coffee.
While it sounds like a dream solution, Mr Wilkins said at the time it felt like a nightmare scenario.
“I found out in the same 48 hours that Scotty was leaving and that Nook was going to have to close,” he said.
“For a minute I was ready to just move to Bali.
“The call from Scotty came first and I wasn’t sure if I was really ready to take that next step, to take over that whole space. But then came the call about Nook … suddenly the decision was made.
“But I think I would have decided that anyway, because what we’ve started at Nobbys is really working.
“We’ve only been there for four months but it already feels like we’ve created that community again. It’s the same vibe and there are so many locals who just love it. It’s actually blown me away.
“We’ll start expanding our menu soon, adding acai bowls and shakes, but then we should have some more news about our bigger plans soon.
“We’ve really been embraced by the business community too. What works for one of us really benefits us all.
“There are challenges with the light rail construction, but overall it hasn’t been a problem. And eventually it will be a real benefit.”
While the future might look bright in Nobby Beach, first Mr Wilkins must make it through this last week at Nook and saying goodbye to his Burleigh brew crew.
He said he was already emotional just thinking about it.
“I think a lot of the customers will still come visit in Nobbys, and our staff are already being snapped up,” he said.
“The customers have been amazing, they’ve been bringing us cards wishing us well and even handing the staff their business cards and offering them jobs.
“The other thing is saying goodbye to Paola. We’ve been together in business for so long, it will be strange not to be taking the next step together. But we’re both excited about the future, too.”
It’s yet another change in a city that’s always developing - for better or for worse.
Indeed, Mr Wilkins said the Nook neighbourhood of 2008 was very different from what existed now.
“I remember when we opened, you could not get a meal in Burleigh after 8pm. Now that’s when the night is just getting started,” he said.
“It’s changed so much, there’s been such an influx of people. That’s been great for businesses, but it’s getting a little busy even for me.
“You can’t have it all, though. If you have somewhere beautiful that you love, other people will want to be part of that too. What made it special for us was going through all of that together with our customers and community.
“The city keeps changing, but you have to roll with it. Nothing stays the same forever, but you can try to take the best parts with it.”
In fact, if you drive down the Gold Coast Highway of a morning, you might notice a little crowd of people on the corner of Wave Street in Nobby’s Beach.
That’s the line for The Holliday Coffee.
And you can be sure that Mr Wilkins is there, chatting to the locals, keeping an eye on the new friendships forming … watching it all from his little window.
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