It will be quirky, cool and quaint with a touch of old-world charm, but the one thing owners Nathan and Enora Hooper-Walker will not compromise on is cafe quality.
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Nathan and his wife Enora are about to start renovating the shop at 242 Rusden Street after sealing the deal on the former Ugg boot shop, once called Ozboots, in November 2021 for about $200,000.
They are going to turn the building into a better yet smaller version of their Cafe Patisserie located nearby on the corner of Rusden and Taylor streets in Armidale.
"It will be an Australian take on a classic Parisian-style patisserie," Nathan said.
The grand Spring opening is expected in September with plenty of champagne and canapes to celebrate with members of the public, says Nathan, but in the meantime, there is still a lot to do.
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Cafe Patisserie will remain in business, but Nathan says the new shop will be more suited to grabbing a takeaway coffee or patisserie though some seats will be available indoors.
"We're taking all the best things that we've learned and building on that to create a better business," Nathan said.
"It's very high-end, and it's actually going to be better than what we have now.
"So we're going to focus on some chocolate tempering, and all the things that we didn't really get a chance to do previously."
Nathan's grandfather Carl Hooper owned 242 Rusden Street for about 30 years and ran it as Hooper's Butchery after he bought it in the 1980s and later on-sold it.
Nathan said he remembers spending some of his childhood afternoons helping his "pop" there, so is glad the building is back in Hooper hands.
Once renovations are complete, the facade is expected to resemble a Victorian-era butchery with a canvas awning, a rustic mix of new and old brick, and a green tile wraparound. There will also be a wood-framed window and door locally crafted.
Inside, customers will be able to step into a fresh, clean and modern take on a French café, with black and white mosaic tiles, state-of-the-art technology, including a flashy new coffee machine, and be able to see the chef, baker or pastry cook working away on fresh croissants and cakes in the kitchen.
Greenery will fill the vacant lot next to the café, with fruits, nuts and vegetation such as lemon, apple, and hazelnut trees and raspberry, blackberry and strawberry bushes to flavour the dishes. They will also have a backyard beehive to collect honey for scrumptious breakfasts on-the-go.
"The feeling is that it will be full of life," Nathan said.
"So when you look at it, it will look beautiful from the front and look inviting.
Nathan said they are not going to put up much signage because of their strong base of local clientele..
"Tourists or people who aren't local usually get brought to us by locals or word of mouth," Nathan said.
French-inspired
Enora is the muse behind the French-inspired patisserie.
Having been born in France, Enora met Nathan while they were working in Canberra at the Museum of Democracy in Old Parliament House.
Shortly afterward, they moved to Armidale where they have since settled and are now also raising their three children under six years of age.
The Café Patisserie has been open for about five years.
Together the Hooper-Walkers make a great team, with Enora managing the front of house, greeting customers while making some of the best coffees in Armidale, while Nathan runs the "engine room".
"As much as I love talking to customers, I'm a lot happier when I'm behind the scenes stoking the fires," Nathan said.
The new café patisserie will have solar panels to generate its own electricity, water storage and a composter in the Hooper-Walker switch to being more energy- and self-efficient overall.
"We're just building off what we love and making it better and making it more interesting and kind of galvanising what we believe in," Nathan said.
"So we're really solidifying our business structure and what we love to do."
The duo is also working with the Armidale Regional Council to have e-bikes outside and an electronic vehicle charging station nearby.
Nathan said it has been a "rollercoaster" of a journey getting their plans to this point and that he believes the most difficult part is yet to come, as they begin the renovations.
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