Air Raid Arcade welcomes cafe The 1995 with more businesses opening

New businesses are set to join a quirky Darwin arcade following the opening of a specialty coffee store. We check out the enterprises taking a punt on this thriving pit stop.

A new cafe in the Air Raid Arcade is adding another level of vibrancy to one of Darwin City’s most charismatic and lively strips.

The laneway is home to an iconic second-hand vinyl store, left-of-field clothing shops and a Berlin-esque bar facing the quirky Austin Lane.

At least two more businesses are set to join the arcade, while specialty coffee store The 1995 has already become a favourite local pit stop since opening in late August.

A rooftop cinema is one anticipated addition and City of Darwin Mayor Kon Vatskalis said the other business would be a pizza bar overlooking Cavenagh St.

“I’ve sat down with (Matt) Mulga, the owner, and he’s working really hard to get it ready,” he said.

“That, along with the new cafe is going to be brilliant.

“It’s giving the Air Raid Arcade a new lease of life.”

Mr Mulga also operates Babylon Bar in the arcade and Lola’s Pergola at Cullen Bay.

While the restaurant’s fit-out is under way, The 1995 in the venue opposite has been buzzing with patrons.

Still dressed in the former Birth of Venus renaissance-style interior, the shopfront serves specialty coffee and a selection of locally-made pastries.

Melanie Hermanus and Reed Alanis are the faces behind The 1995 in the Air Raid Arcade. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Owners Reed Alanes and Melani Hermanus said the venue was a “passion project” dedicated to serving quality coffee seven days a week.

“Not many cafes in Darwin are open after 2pm – especially for specialty coffee – so we’re trying to stay open a bit later,” Ms Hermanus said.

“Down south, you can find good coffee right up to the evening.

“We’ve noticed people are coming in around 3pm for an afternoon kick.”

Keeping the cafe’s scope of offerings simple also lures those looking for a quiet but lively place to study; something the pair are all too familiar with.

Ms Hermanus moved to Darwin from Indonesia nine years ago to study accounting at Charles Darwin University, while Philippines-born Mr Alanes followed two years later to study sport science.

Darwin's Air Raid Arcade is home to an iconic second-hand vinyl store, Air Raid Records. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The pair met soon after and are now active members of migrant support group, Kindness Shake.

On the cafe’s opening day, 10 per cent of profits were donated to the organisation.

“In Australia the coffee game is very different – it’s a necessity,” Mr Alanes said.

“When I first landed here I noticed everyone walking around with cups of coffee in their hands.

“We want this cafe to not just be a coffee shop but a destination.”

“When we travel to Melbourne or Sydney, finding a good coffee is part of the itinerary,” Ms Hermanus said.

“People don’t just go to cafes anymore because they want a coffee but because it’s one of those things you seek out to do.

“I think in about six months or one year, this arcade will become very alive.”

The Deckchair Cinema has become one of Darwin’s most beloved attractions. Picture: Tourism NT/Friederike Franze

A second home for the popular Deckchair Cinema is also anticipated to fill a rooftop space in the arcade.

Plans show the space would be used to screen art house films all year round, with a capacity of 120 people.

It would be Darwin city’s only indoor cinema since the closure of BCC Cinema on Mitchell St four years ago.