In a major coup for specialty-coffee lovers of the north, Melbourne-favourite Market Lane has opened the doors to a brand-new shop on Sydney Road, and the team is celebrating by pouring free coffee for all and sundry from now until Sunday afternoon, 15 January.
“Our roastery and office are located nearby,” says Jenni Bryant, who co-owns Market Lane with Fleur Studd and Jason Scheltus. “Ever since we moved there in 2020, we’ve wanted to create a community space where neighbours and local coffee lovers can drop in for a coffee and a chat. This new shop is that space.”
Located on a buzzy stretch of Sydney Road, not far from hit stores Mr Kitly, Blackhearts and Sparrows and Mile End Bagels, the new shop stocks the same excellent range of freshly roasted coffee beans, high-quality homewares and brew gear that we’ve all come to love from Market Lane’s other outposts, with a tight offering of pastries and savoury goods from Austro Bakery on hand for the peckish drop-in who likes to linger.
“It’s a big social space with room for people to gather and sit, so we wanted to make it comfortable and also create a sense of intimacy,” Goss says. “We retained and exposed the original Victorian details and then layered in materials that have inherent character and small imperfections. We didn’t want anything to be overly polished or architectural; it had to feel like it’s part of the Market Lane family of shops.”
Brunswick – may your cup runneth over.
Market Lane, 383 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, open Mon-Sun 8am-4pm, marketlane.com.au, @marketlane
By Frank Sweet