Mair Street’s new sweet tooth destination

AFTER being stood down due to COVID-19 shutdowns, Catherine Gill took her newfound freedom and opened a business of her own.

Months of hard work later, she finally opened Lilly’s, the boutique chocolate and coffee shop she had been planning for years.

With both her and her partner losing their jobs during the first round of lockdown, Ms Gill said it gave them time to evaluate how and when they would bring a new business to life.

“After working in hospitality for 20 years, it’s always been a dream to own my own place,” she said.

“Although it was hard during a pandemic, there’s always a story with us so I wouldn’t see us doing it at a normal time.

“There isn’t really a place for really nice chocolates and gift boxes in Ballarat, so we jumped with that and went with it.”

The shop formerly housed the Upholstery Gallery and is located near the top of Mair Street, a prime position for both inner city residential and commercial traffic.

Ms Gill said that although she hopes the thriving Mair Street thoroughfare will bring customers, the main appeal of the place is that it’s a bit tucked away.

“When I first noticed it, I just loved how beautiful the front veranda and the window was,” she said.

“It’s also great not being right on Sturt Street with all of the noise and busyness.

“Once we found the spot in March, we used the lockdown period to do the space up ourselves with the help of some of our family.”

The shop currently boasts a wide range of high-end chocolates crafted in Sydney and lolly varieties for the kids along with Padre speciality coffee and hot chocolate.

Only opening its doors earlier this month, Ms Gill said her cliental have already shown her an overwhelming amount of support and excitement.

“It’s been really good so far to see people have a smile on their face when they walk in and are really excited that the space has opened into a café again,” she said.

“We’ve started to get a lot of messages on social media from people saying they love the coffee and that they’re really excited.

“We’re looking forward to being able to fully open in the future because we will have cakes, lunch options and spots to sit as well.”

Lilly’s chocolate and coffee shop is currently operating for takeaway only from Tuesday to Saturday.