It seemed natural that café owner Katrine Elliott would reflect and become nostalgic when speaking about the closure of the business that she has steered through more than 17 years. The iconic Berryman’s Café and Tearooms will cease operations on Sunday 29 September and hold a clearing sale in the following week.
Chatting to the Tarrangower Times last week, Katrine recalls the positive influence that it has had on her life. “I came to the country from the city and took over the business in June 2007,” she says. “I was looking for a house but I found a café and it just ended up as a lovely opportunity.”
Named after Berryman’s boot shop, which was resident on the site from about 1890, the green-tiled façade has housed the eponymous cafe since the 1970s and has been managed more recently by Katrine’s sister, Jess. Not only has the running of Berryman’s Cafe been a family affair, but it helped Katrine to be more involved in her own growing family and the local community.
“My kids were young and it gave the flexibility to be involved in kinder and school activities,” she said. “I’ve been on every committee, for every event. I’ve been able to be involved in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to without the café, if I was doing a nine-to-five job.” Katrine also credited the flexibility of cafe life with being able to pursue her longheld goal of becoming a nurse, which is now her primary career.
Since offering the business for sale, Berryman’s Café has had many interested buyers but none who could commit; Katrine needed to make a decision about signing a new longterm lease. “It’s a shame, because I tried to sell it and we had a lot of interest but everyone’s circumstances are affected by the current economy,”
Meanwhile, Katrine manages to smile at the memory of the Tarrangower Times taking her photo during the early days, when the photographer wanted some scones for the photo: “So I smiled for the camera, holding up a tray of frozen scones!”
There are still a few weeks to enjoy a soup, a Reuben sandwich or a great coffee by Jess and everyone is welcome to the clearing sale commencing on Monday 30 September. Katrine will be taking offers for shop fittings, crockery, platters, kitchen equipment and fridges: everything must go. Bring a trailer and make an offer – the shop will be open all day every day for the week.
Berryman’s Cafe is located at 30 Main Street, Maldon.
This article appeared in Tarrangower Times, 13 September 2024.
