Cafe operators juggle beets and babies with CBD opening

Carly Chiesa and Megan Artis have just reopened their Townsville CBD cafe with a busy first week of trade, while Carly has also given birth to a son, Rafa.

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You could say The Beet Bar partners have their arms full.

Carly Chiesa and Megan Artis have just reopened their Townsville CBD store with a busy first week of trade, while Carly has also given birth to a son, Rafa.

For Carly, it was a case of helping to set up the shop on Thursday, going into hospital for the birth of her boy on Friday, going home the next day and being back in the shop on Sunday helping the team ahead of its Monday opening.

For baby and shop, it has worked out “really well”, Carly said.

Megan said having an “amazing team” of chefs in the kitchen was a big help.

“We’ve been very busy. It seemed like everyone showed up all week and multiple times and it’s been like that since. We are just trying to keep up with everything,” Megan said.

Carly Chiesa with Rafa, 10 days, and Megan Artis at The Beet Bar. Picture: Evan Morgan

The Beet Bar has reopened in the Precinct21 building after closing at its previous city location about 18 months ago as their lease expired and Covid-19 emerged.

The owners of the building, backed by Sydney developers Third.i, have contributed to a redevelopment of the ground floor corner location to create the cafe which includes an ice cream bar, deck and an outdoor area, including where you can dine with your pet.

The cafe has also provided an online service where you can order and pay from your table.

“To own a business now it’s more than just having an idea and opening a shop. You have to be all over marketing, you have to be HR, you have to be creative and come up with ideas for the menu, you have to be stylists in the shop fit-out, you have to be a people manager, but Megan and I have really enjoyed all aspects of running The Beet Bar,” Carly said.

Third.i, with the backing of Singaporean funds, bought the former AECOM building in 2019 and have undertaken a multimillion-dollar fit-out and rebranding.

They are finalising plans for a conversion of the top two levels of the five-storey building into Specialist Disability Accommodation apartments which can be leased by participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

They are partnering with disability service provider Aruma on the project.

Four apartments and a carer’s apartment will be created on each floor, while the roof above level three with have an outdoor garden.

Third.i director Luke Berry said the apartments, which they hoped to have ready by this time next year, would have some of the best views in town.

“The SDA Accommodation at Precinct21 will change the lives for many people living with a disability and, with them based in the CBD, it will make living and access to amenity even easier,” Mr Berry said.

Meanwhile, the strategy for the ground floor is to create a health, wellness, fitness and beauty centre, with more announcements pending.

PROPERTY COUNCIL: DECADE OF OPPORTUNITY FOR TOWNSVILLE

SINCE the snap three-day lockdown, Townsville has seen a flurry of activity, hosting many events such as V8 Supercars, Cowboys home games and a cultural arts festival.

It has allowed the city’s small businesses a much-needed chance to rebuild.

Queensland property council executive director Jen Williams

The impact of these major events cannot be underestimated. Visitors and residents are given a reason to spend money in the local economy which extends to local bars, retailers and restaurants.

Hosting major events puts Townsville on the radar, offering free publicity across the nation, especially to those who might be considering where to next host a major event or relocate from interstate.

With the ongoing effects of Covid-19 prompting sporting teams to move interstate, Townsville is shaping up to be seen as a serious sporting hub.

This has been complemented by facilities such as the new stadium which is well equipped to host large scale events as demonstrated by the State of Origin in June.

While the region is known for its beautiful weather and natural beauties such as Castle Hill and Magnetic Island, the evolution to become a sporting hub unlocks a wealth of economic and growth potential.

The successful Brisbane Olympics bid announced a few weeks ago offers an additional chance for Townsville to capitalise on our nation’s affinity for sport.

While the South East Queensland region has been selected as the host for the games, it is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the whole state to benefit, especially as the football preliminary matches have been slated to be held at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium. KPMG has estimated that Queensland will reap up to $8.1 billion in economic benefit. This region is ripe to take a slice, being well placed to host training camps and offer pre and post-Olympic tourism opportunities.

To truly capitalise on the pipeline of opportunity, Townsville’s decision-makers need to address the challenges that are present in the region, such as affordable housing, skilled labour shortages and enlivening the CBD.

If all three levels of government don’t offer the right policy settings to get the CBD flourishing again, Townsville won’t have the cafes, restaurants, shops, nightlife and other amenities that visitors to the region expect and want.

Re-booting the Townsville CBD is an urgent priority for our members, and the heightened level of investor interest in building and redeveloping the CBD only serves to reinforce its importance.

While the threat of lockdown is ever present, the relatively low risk in this region delivers a chance for Townsville to showcase its unique proposition as a safe, trusted place to both visit and invest.

Let’s grasp this momentum as we lead into the decade of golden opportunity.

POPULAR HEALTH STORE COMING TO THE CITY

THE owners of a city office building are creating a health, wellness, fitness and beauty destination on its ground floor as the fit-out for its new tenant takes shape.

Sydney developer Third.i, with the backing of Singaporean funds, bought the former AECOM building in Stokes St for $5m in 2019 and had just completed a multimillion dollar fit-out when Covid-19 suddenly changed the world.

The building has been rebranded Precinct21.

Third.i are now at a point where tenants are lining up for the ground floor and top two floors.

The Beet Bar, which traded in Flinders St for about five years before focusing on its Medilink centre outlet in Douglas during Covid, are preparing to reopen in the city.

The Precinct21 building in Stokes St.

Third.i director and co-founder Luke Berry said they felt privileged to partner with The Beet Bar as their ground floor food and beverage tenant and were thrilled to add this nourishing offering to Precinct21.

“Precinct21 is about more than creative office space, it is about bonding the people of Townsville, employing local staff and providing a collaborative and exciting space for new ideas and opportunities,” Mr Berry said.

“Our strategy for the building has been developed in line with local interest and needs. The ground floor had been solely dedicated to create a health, wellness, fitness and beauty destination and our newest tenant The Beet Bar is just the start of this.”

The Beet Bar, created by partners Carly Chiesa and Megan Artis, has developed a big following providing health conscious super foods and juices.

Ms Artis said they chose Precinct21 because of its proximity to Flinders St, excellent parking, gorgeous glass frontage that wraps around two sides of the tenancy and landlords who shared their vision to bring life back into the city.

She said they were excited to be partnering with Third.i and couldn’t wait to feed, fuel and nourish the people of Precinct21.

The five-level building with basement car park has a net lettable area of 5757 sqm.

Mr Berry said businesses who thought they would be a great fit for Precinct21 should contact them or agents eProperty Consultants NQ.

UPFRONT COSTS SHOCK

AIRCONDITIONING business owner Nathan Switzer is happy to have taken the next big step in the growth of his enterprise by buying his own premises.

But he is still a little astonished at the upfront costs required to acquire commercial property.

Mr Switzer, who operates NQ Air Service and Installation, has bought a 120 sqm warehouse in a unit complex in Garbutt.

While the initial $260,000 price tag excluding GST definitely is affordable, what did come as some surprise was that the deposit combined with GST, stamp duty and legal fees meant he has had to come up with more than 40 per cent of the required funds.

“Buying commercial (property) is a lot more expensive (than buying a home) but I’m glad we’ve done it. I’d much rather own the property,” Mr Switzer said.

The cost of his mortgage each month was half the lease costs he had been quoted for a neighbouring property, while owning meant he had the freedom to make improvements and, hopefully, look forward to an increase in value.

“It’s something I can pass on to the children,” he said.

Mr Switzer has been operating NQ Air Service and Installation for about two years and employs an apprentice refrigeration mechanic Corey Somer.

Focusing on residential installations, service and maintenance, earnings growth for the business has been impressive.

“The next step was to buy a commercial shed and possibly expand the business,” Mr Switzer said.

Having worked in the area before, he knew his Carmel St location was convenient and central.

Colliers Townsville executive Shaun McLaren said Nathan had been fortunate to secure the last remaining unit in a six-warehouse complex which was probably one of the best of its type in town.

“Small industrial units with high clearance and good natural light are definitely sought after,” Mr McLaren said.

“There’s a little bit of a lack of stock at the moment, just because there’s not heaps of them around.

“These ones are really good quality. There’s only six in the complex, they’re built well and it’s in a central location.”

Mr Switzer plans to make some improvements to his warehouse and hopes to one day o expand.

LENDER SURPASSES 120 EMPLOYEES

Townsville-based non-bank lender which started with just a couple of staff a decade ago is now a major force in the finance sector employing more than 120 people.

Finance One was founded by Jamie McGeachie in 2010 and is based in Garbutt.

The company began as an alternative to mainstream banks providing car loans to people with poor credit histories but it now provides personal loans as well as finance to businesses for equipment and cashflow needs.

Some customers complain in product reviews of high interest rates but Mr McGeachie says the business caters to the “everyday person” who falls outside mainstream lenders and who might not otherwise get a loan.

Investors fund its lending book, which now tops more than $235 million, receiving interest payments of between 2.75% and 9%, paid monthly.

“We have a loan book of over $235m and 14,000 customers Australia-wide. We have over 500 investors across Australia. Our goal is to get to a $1 billion loan book. That’s not going to happen next year but we will do that,” Mr McGeachie said

The company recently marked surpassing 100 staff and recording its biggest month of loan approvals, surpassing $15.4 million.

It also was named national winner of the 2021 Australian Achiever Award for Finance & Insurance Services, receiving a score of over 99% for customer relations and service.

Mr McGeachie said it was an exciting time for the business which had taken a cautious and considered approach to limit the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Finance One products are offered through a 2500-strong broker network across Australia.

“More often than not our customers have been knocked back for credit at a time in their life

when they are in real need of assistance to get back on their feet,” Mr McGeachie said.

“We can help them through this process by providing consumer loans to purchase motor

vehicles that may mean they can drive to their place of employment, drop their kids at

school and make the steps towards financial independence.”

Mr McGeachie said one of the main challenges they faced at present was finding quality staff.

“We have a broad range of jobs available from loan processing, IT support, sales and administration, and I encourage anyone looking to work for a great business that values its

people, and has a big future, to get on to our website or give us a call,” he said.

Finance One acquired its 1500 sqm headquarters in Garbutt in 2019 but now also has an office in Brisbane

LET’S GET THE CITY HEART PUMPING

JEN WILLIAMS Queensland executive director of the Property Council of Australia

A RENEWED focus is needed on the revitalisation of the Townsville CBD.

The inner city rode a wave of positivity after the staging of the first game of the State of Origin series in the city’s new stadium.

But this was followed by last week’s snap Covid-19 lockdown, making it harder for the city’s retailers and building owners looking forward to a strong holiday season.

Before last week’s lockdown, the Property Council had begun the initial stages of planning a workshop on CBD reactivation, seeking to work across both public and private sectors to develop tangible and practical ways to boost activity in the city.

With the three-day shutdown putting further pressure on sentiment, it is clear that sustainable and collaborative solutions are needed.

On June 23, Townsville City Council delivered its budget with some welcome incentives.

Highlights included $500,000 for infrastructure charges waivers, $75,000 in rental subsidies to support job creation, and $90,000 to modernise buildings and activate spaces.

Given the ongoing challenges the city centre faces, the Property Council is keen to continue its conversations with the council on other mechanisms that could be used to support the activation of the city centre.

From a state government perspective, the Property Council was delighted to see last month’s budget deliver $1.9bn for social housing.

While we would have liked to see greater investment in mechanisms to bring forward private sector housing supply, and funding for the infrastructure required to fast-track delivery of affordable housing, increasing the supply of housing for the most vulnerable in our community is an important first step.

The Property Council recently provided feedback to the federal government’s Cyclone Reinsurance Pool Taskforce.

The property council has welcomed the federal government’s initiative to establish a reinsurance pool to reduce the insurance cost burden.

The Property Council is strongly advocating that this pool not only include residential property owners, but also larger business, to ensure that employers are also protected from the high costs of insurance.

Originally published as Cafe operators juggle beets and babies with CBD opening