The future of one of Ballarat's well-loved health and wellness businesses is uncertain, with the building they occupy up for sale and a continuing downturn in cafe patrons.
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Luke and Stacey-Lea Gibson have run the Healthy Hub Cafe and Wellness Centre at 100 Bridge Mall since 2017.
The business set itself apart as a plastic free, gluten free, health-focused cafe option with an accompanying wellness business upstairs.
Mrs Gibson told The Courier the pandemic had dealt a harsh blow to the business and the cafe remained quiet despite the easing of restrictions.
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Parking and roadworks have also created additional challenges, with new designs for the Bridge Mall expected to create further change and construction works nearby.
"We have had so many roadworks out the front that noticeably reduced the number of people coming into the cafe," Mrs Gibson said.
"We are certainly mindful Bridge Mall is going to undergo more works. We absolutely support the works happening in the mall, we want to see the area thrive, however it is going to be at a cost to all of the businesses in the mall and I am not sure how we are going to survive through that.
"It certainly will be interesting to see what happens if we are still in that location."
Mr and Mrs Gibson revealed last week on their Facebook page they were considering their future and whether it was time for change.
Mrs Gibson said they had been thinking about business options like pre-made meals and recipes for some time, but the building sale was a trigger for action.
"We understand that over the last few years the world has changed, our community's needs have changed, and our little family's needs have changed too," Mrs Gibson wrote in a Facebook post.
"We've been sitting with new initiatives, programs, plans that brings the Healthy Hub recipes and delicious food into your office spaces and homes, however we're not sure if our community still wants a health food cafe/ service in town.
We have some big decisions to make over the next week, depending on the outcome of the building auction and your support.
- Stacey Lea-Gibson
"So we put it to you, our friends, our community. How can we support you to eat healthier? We have some big decisions to make over the next week, depending on the outcome of the building auction and your support."
Mrs Gibson told The Courier the social media post had triggered lots of messages of support.
"From our post it is evidence we believe our services are still needed in the community to help people access healthy nutrient rich food," she said.
"It is heartwarming other people feel we are still required as well and we will do our best to be able to deliver that to the community.
"It really helps put the fire underneath us to keep on pushing forward and come up with different initiatives.
"We are certainly trying to adapt and come up with suggestions for our business so it doesn't matter what location we are in."
The historic Bridge Mall building home to the Healthy Hub did not sell at auction on Friday and is now available for private sale for $950,000, according to PRD Ballarat agent Michael Edgar.
He said the building sale presented an opportunity for investors or owner occupiers, particularly given the changes and developments set for Bridge Mall.
"There is going to be developments happening in the Bridge Mall in the not too distant future in relation to the traffic thoroughfare going back through the mall and potential developments in the area," Mr Edgar said.
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Rochelle Kirkham
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
