Tough love: Ipswich cafe owner's baptism of fire

BRETT and Christie Briggs' first foray into small business has been something of a baptism of fire, but one they are determined to see succeed.

OIkos owner Brett Briggs. Picture: Cordell Richardson

BRETT and Christie Briggs' first foray into small business has been something of a baptism of fire, but one they are determined to see succeed.

Having opened the Oikos cafe in Limestone St, opposite the old courthouse, in February, they have quickly developed a loyal following of regular customers, mainly consisting of the 9-5 workers who depend on their daily morning caffeine injection.

Such is the popularity of the new cafe, in fact, that a line-up of customers can often be seen out the front during peak hour on any given weekday.

The going has been anything but easy, however, with Mr Briggs acknowledging the battle that most Ipswich businesses are facing at the moment.

While positive about his city and its people, Mr Briggs said the state of the centre of town had created an environment were people were "holding off" until the reconstruction was complete, turning business in the CBD into a battle of attrition.

"It is school holidays at the moment, and as you can see, things are very quiet," Mr Briggs said yesterday.

"For the CBD of a very large town, I think you would agree that it is very quiet.

"When it comes to the weekends, I think the general population is just waiting for the CBD redevelopment to happen before they will do things in Ipswich.

"If there is entertainment on at the art gallery or the civic centre then we may have a busy weekend, otherwise there are not many people around."

Oikos employs seven staff, including two baristas who are both on during the busy weekday mornings. He usually has a smaller crew on weekends, but will send extra staff in at short notice if there is a sudden rush due to an event happening in town.

The cafe has a lease out to 2021, at which time they will re-evaluate, but Mr Briggs said his hope was to keep going as long as he can.

"On a positive note, the customer base in Ipswich is so good," Mr Briggs said.

"It is a good vibe. The community we engage with are good people and very chilled and we are so grateful for that.

"The way things have played out over the past six months has been harder than we thought it would be, and I think every business is feeling the sting.

"But Christie and I can see ourselves doing this for a long time."

Originally published as Tough love: Ipswich cafe owner's baptism of fire