There’s not a centimetre of the 135-year-old shopfront that Coburg residents Tresna Lee and Shane Farrell didn’t touch as they brought to life their cosy wine bar Gemini, which opened last week.

The couple moved to Coburg from Fitzroy nine years ago, quickly becoming enamoured with their new community. But they missed having somewhere they could call in for a drink after work or stay for an impromptu meal with friends.

After a five-year search, they stumbled on the perfect spot, a double-storey brick building on Sydney Road. The pair put everything on the line to make it happen, selling their home, their business, and spending a year renovating the space.

“We finally realised no one else was going to open it, so it might as well be us,” Lee says. “We wanted to create a place where people can feel welcome, regardless of whether they’re coming in for a sandwich at lunchtime, an intimate dinner with their partner, or just picking up a few items for their pantry.

“Hospitality venues play a big part in creating connections within the fabric and ecosystem of a community.”

The intimate 35-seat venue features high ceilings, statement orange pendant lights and a long granite bar at lower-than-typical height, in the hopes of encouraging conversation and connection.

Sandblasted brick walls are still speckled with paint, reminders of the building’s long history as a bakery, Bollywood dance studio and socialist bookstore.

“We fought hard to honour the beautiful historical character,” Lee says, noting preserved features like the original wood staircase.

Head chef Dougie Thompson (ex-Ezard and Daughter in Law), another Coburg local, applied for the role after passing the building each day as the renovations progressed.

Thompson worked with Lee and Farrell to create the small snack menu, which is inspired by nostalgia and European wine bars. There’s chicken liver pâté with seasonal berry caramel ($16), two-bite Hasselback potatoes with creme fraiche and smoked roe ($7), and gin-cured ocean trout with broad bean pesto and cucumber rye ($9.50), plus a number of plant-based options.

At lunch, there are continental plates ($20-$25) with a selection of fresh vegetables, ferments and sourdough from nearby bakery Akimbo, and for something more substantial, the kitchen offers a weekly sandwich special – this week, it’s a wagyu flank steak sandwich with anchovy cream and enoki mushrooms.

A well-stocked pantry is also on hand, selling everything from artisan olive oil and coffee to tinned fish.

Beyond the food, there’s a natural-leaning wine list, with a strong focus on forward-thinking Victorian producers such as Fleet Wines, Minim and Xavier Goodridge, most priced under $20 a glass.

Lee says the concept has been well-received.

“This is such a quiet area, with so many shops up for lease, so I think the locals feel like, ‘Finally!’,” she says. “We want Gemini to be here for decades, becoming woven into the fabric of Coburg.”

Open Wed-Sun noon-10pm.

158 Sydney Road, Coburg, geminimelbourne.com