The owners of Caffiends in Bradley Street have hit on an artistic way of bringing tourists to Guyra: turn their cafe into a gallery.
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“What I want to do is get Guyra out there, and give people a reason to come to see the local arts and crafts,” owner June Paine said.
June and her husband Neil took the coffee shop over from the former owners of the antique shop ten months ago.
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Their hope is to make the cafe a creative hub, displaying giftwares, art and craftworks by locals – and giving visitors a reason to come on a day trip to Guyra.
"The idea is to create something for Guyra that's going to draw them here, a reason to come here,” June Paine said. “They can come to a nice cafe, and look around at everything, in a relaxed atmosphere.”
And they hope it will benefit other businesses in town.
“Hopefully they will come off the highway,” Neil Paine said, “and from here to other shops in the main street.”
As well as boosting tourism, it will also give local creatives somewhere to display their work. Many, they found, only display at the Lamb and Potato Festival and the Trout Festival, while some create less than they’d like because they lack an outlet for their creations.
“I'll have a lot of different craftspeople come in, and a lot of local artists exhibiting their stuff here,” Mrs Paine said.
Their plan is already coming off. They’re displaying pieces by Eve Kennedy, Brian Irving, and Kay Smith, among others, which they said are walking out the door.
Christine Gellie, the Guyra & District Chamber of Commerce’s events and tourism officer and owner of the Guyra Flower Farm, is selling bath and linen through the cafe, and will soon exhibit macrame there.
“It's a fantastic opportunity for any locals who are a bit arty and creative,” she said, “and who want to display their stuff.”
