CAFE CLOSURE: The Red Barn Cafe has come to a close, with property owners Triple Two Trust searching for a new tenant. Photos Troy Baker E4847-01
Alisha McLennan
Triple Two Trust is searching for new tenants following the closure of the Red Barn Cafe.
A manager of the trust, Murray Law, said the trust would like to see the building being used again.
“We are obviously disappointed to see the cafe go; the Red Barn is a legacy of my mother's,” he said.
Over the 50 years since his father built the barn, it has functioned as a packhouse, craft store, tea shop, restaurant and then a cafe and bakery.
Triple Two Trust has cleaned the building to ready it for the next tenants and are working with Bayleys Larissa Reid to actively look for another tenant.
“We like to see it being used; the barn is an important part of the property,” he said.
Although the cafe has closed, Simply Handmade, the next-door homemade craft store displaying local creations, continues to operate.
“Having the craft shop continue in the barn feels like a legacy to my mother,” Mr Law said.
Simply Handmade co-op member Penny Farrance said since the cafe closure, those working in the craft store see 30 to 50 cars a day drive into the property and then drive out as they see the cafe has closed.
“It’s a sad loss to the area,” she said.
Fellow co-op member Helen Stevenson said the Law family had been supportive of Simply Handmade following the cafe closure.
“They have been really helpful, and really encouraged us. They appreciate we don’t have a lot of customers, as the coffee and food were a bit of an attraction,” she said.
“We are very thankful to our loyal local customers who keep visiting.”
Ms Stevenson is hoping to organise a coffee cart on the property while they wait for the former cafe to re-open.
Simply Handmade has been operating for almost 10 years, and they plan to celebrate their decade of business on November 30 with a craft market on the lawn of the Red Barn.
They are currently taking applications for stalls. To book a table is $15 before August 31, and $20 thereafter.