Featured Shop: Like Minds – Workshop Avoca

Like Minds Workshop Avoca team

FK chats to Lucy, one of four creative and community minded friends who recently opened the doors to an inviting and inspiring space aptly named, Like Minds.  Located in Avoca on the Central Coast.

Tell us about your gallery & coffee shop and all round creative space, Like Minds and what things we can expect to discover?
Like Minds is an extension of our homes.  It’s an open and welcoming space to visit with lots going on!  Whether it’s in our eatery, store, gallery, garden or workshop space, there are countless opportunities for people to get involved and join our little community.

What was your motivation in opening Like Minds and who are the team behind it and what are their roles?
One evening about 6 months ago we were sharing a meal and a laugh with friends, when we realised that all four of us just wanted to bottle that vibe and share it in our community.  At our core, all four of us love connecting with people, sharing stories and experiences.  Melissa is our beautiful cook, James is our talented coffee guru, while Adam and Lucy are our passionate creative team.  We tackle everything together, and with this mix of skills, it definitely keeps things interesting!

Like Minds Studio Cafe Shop Interior

Like Minds Exterior Shot Window

Like Minds Avoca Interior

What qualities do you look out for when selecting artists to showcase and workshops to run?
Most of our concepts for exhibitions and workshops are born out of a desire to collaborate and learn as well as to share knowledge, experience and skills locally.  For us, our buzz comes from joining forces with these insightful, innovative, brave, relevant and imaginative individuals.  We feel so fortunate to be a part of an incredibly passionate and open-hearted community who share and embrace these values.  The opportunities feel endless!

What do you love most about running Like Minds?
Connecting with our community and building the future of Like Minds with them.

Like Minds Avoca Exterior Window

Like Minds Cafe Food Bread Fresh Basil Tomato

Like Minds Coffee and Grains

What inspires you about your surroundings and what other aspects about Avoca and the Central Coast, do you love?
We are so lucky to have the beach right on our doorstep.  We usually start or finish our day in the sea, nothing is more inspirational and grounding than the ocean.  The natural beauty here continues to surprise us, so many people come here from Sydney for the weekend, to get away, and we get to have the beauty of the coast every day.

What challenges have you faced running and setting up your own business?
For us the challenge is to always stay conscious of our values and initial motivations.  It’s easy to get caught up in the frantic pace of a small business but we’re trying to step-back and keep our focus, to make sure that everything we do at Like Minds is done whole-heartedly.

Like Minds International Magazine Collection

Like Minds Avoca Vegetable Garden

What new things do you have lined-up for Like Minds this year?
To be honest, we are looking forward to growing organically into whatever our community needs.  At the moment we are trying to develop more community inspired events that promote living locally and sustainably.  But ultimately we’re open to whatever opportunities are out there!

All photography credits: Damien Furey

All the other specific details:
Like Minds
352 The Round Drive
Avoca Beach NSW 2251

email: hello@like-minds.com.au
ph: 02 4339 3219

Coffee Shop Opening Hours:
Wed to Fri: 6.30am – 4.30pm
Sat & Sun: 8am – 4pm

www.like-minds.com.au
www.facebook.com/likemindsavoca

Workshops, exhibitions, dinners & special events are one-offs, and are updated frequently on the Like Minds Facebook page and their (soon-to-be) website!

Like Minds-38

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