Deborah Friend
A DREAM come true is how the owner of new Proserpine business Little Vintage Café describes her venture.
Joanne Klose, from Strathdickie, has always harboured a dream to run a café offering a relaxed, homely feel.
When the premises next to Drakes Supermarket came up recently, the mum-of-three jumped at it.
Since opening, on Wednesday, October 4, the café has been finding its feet but, so far, custom has been good.
“We had a very quiet opening, everyone’s still training,” Mrs Klose said, who has taught herself to cook over the years and makes all the food.
“Everybody has advertised for me through word-of-mouth – we even have regulars coming back in just one week. It’s been amazing. The community has been so supportive.”
Mrs Klose said the goal was ‘a nice, homely feel – industrial vintage’.
“We really want to give people the relaxing feeling of being at home,” she said.
“People still like food ‘like nana used to make’. We wanted to give that homemade menu – we make everything on the premises, nothing’s bought in.
“The food’s clean and simple, something a little bit different.”
Mrs Klose used to run mobile coffee vans with her husband Bryce but sold two and kept one, which is at BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, Cannonvale, seven days a week.
She said her husband had been very supportive of the new venture.
“Bryce works behind the scenes that no one sees, including taking time off to look after the kids. I have always wanted a bricks and mortar café.”
Mrs Klose has three sons aged 24, 23 and 11 and it has always been ’mum first’.
“I couldn’t do this [the café] until the boys had flown the coop,” she said.
“It was always mum first and then they didn’t need me so much anymore, and I decided it was time to do what I wanted to do.
“The eldest two have now moved away…and my 11-year-old comes in after school and helps out.”
Little Vintage Café is open six days a week (closed Sunday) and offers breakfast, lunch, pies and cakes. There is no dinner service, at this stage.
