Pop-up venues could be the answer to bringing life and colour to Ballarat’s underutilised spaces.
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This is the vision of three young entrepreneurs who are operating a container cafe and bar in Lydiard Street South, near FedUni SMB Campus, over the next two months.
Ballarat’s Zoe Cleverdon, Sam Brown, and Meaghan Boschert want to bring life back to the once-busy part of the city, outside the old gaol.
Mr Brown said the idea behind Pickles Cafe Bar was to encourage residents to utilise Ballarat’s spaces, and enjoy new and inventive hospitality venues.
It is the second time the cafe and bar has operated, having been located at Alfred Deakin Place in Camp Street during the Archibald Prize exhibition in 2015.
“There are lots of public spaces that no one has considered to use. It doesn’t happen much here but you have to ask and make it happen,” Mr Brown said.
“I’ve spent a lot of time around this part of town and always imagined how great it would be if more people were around.”
City of Ballarat infrastructure and environment director Terry Demeo said the council supported pop-up venues.
“Pop-up venues often support or complement other events occurring in Ballarat and can contribute to a vibrant and active CBD,” Mr Demeo said.
He said the council currently did not receive many applications for pop-up venues, with less than a dozen received in the past year.
“However, pop-up venues are becoming a growing trend and, as a result, Ballarat is likely to receive more applications in the future,” Mr Demeo said.
The Lydiard Street South pop-up container is on Federation University land.
But Mr Demeo said the premises had satisfied all food registration requirements and all standards required by council for this type of premises.
“Where the council is the relevant authority on public land, each application for a pop-up venue is assessed on its own merits,” he said.
Pickles will provide Ballarat and regional products, including coffee, alcoholic drinks and snacks.
Customers will be entertained on Saturday nights with live music, kicking off with Van Walker on Saturday.
“We’ll definitely be bringing more life and colour to the place, with music, events and food trucks, but what we also love about it is this kind of undiscovered gem of Ballarat,” Ms Cleverdon said.
Pickles will open on Saturday and operate until March 24, to align with White Night on March 17.
It is open from Monday to Thursday between 10am and 4pm; Friday between 10am and 9pm; and Saturday and Sunday between 12pm and 9pm.
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