While the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on businesses and economies around the world, there are still some in Bendigo giving new ventures a shot.
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Four weeks ago, Magnolia Lane Cafe opened its doors on Pall Mall, during the first weekend of the current stage three lockdown.
"We took on the venue knowing that could happen and we were prepared for the possibility of it," Mitch Ryan, one of the partners in the business, said.
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The partnership, which also runs Cortille, had the idea for another cafe in the works for a while.
Mr Ryan said there was no point in waiting and opening during this time meant they could at least get some exposure and traffic through the door.
Opening during the lockdown also had its benefits, he said, as it acted a bit like a soft opening for the cafe.
"[It's been] really good, all things considered, and we've been really happy with the response so far," he said.
The cafe will become an eat-in venue too, once restrictions ease.
Since opening, the cafe has also branched out into an evening-only takeaway outlet named Kami, which serves up Southeast Asian cuisine from the same venue from Thursday to Sunday.
"There's a demand for convenient takeaway food at nighttime," Mr Ryan said.
The opportunity to pair the takeaway outlet with Magnolia Lane Cafe made sense, he said, with everything that was going on.
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Cafe Essence owner Minette Richardson has realised her long-held dream of a French patisserie during the lockdown, opening Bluebird Patisserie on Mitchell Street on the first day of spring.
Ms Richardson said the patisserie was originally scheduled to open in January.
However, works in the shop and the pandemic delayed that.
But the decision was made to push ahead anyway.
Ms Richardson said she had wanted to run a patisserie her entire career of 34 years.
"I just felt if I didn't do it now, I'd never do it," she said.
Ms Richardson said she felt that Bendigo needed something fresh going into spring. The response to the business in its first four days, she said, was "way beyond our expectations", with queues around the corner and the need to restock throughout the day.
Mr Ryan acknowledged times were tough for businesses and they were fighting for a piece of a smaller pie when it came to patrons.
But he said they were offering something different, and had prepared for lockdown.
"It is just kind of business as usual for us," he said. "We've just got to have that mindset and keep pushing forward."