AUG2013_Swish boutique gift and coffee shop
– from dream to reality
While the owners of Dayboro’s newest business venture – Swish boutique gift and coffee shop – might be relative newcomers to Dayboro, they have adopted this community as their family and are moulding their shop around the needs of the people who live here.
When Bobby and Rob Ryan first moved to Dayboro almost three years ago, they saw potential for a gift shop and cafe in the exact location that they have now opened Swish, on the corner of McKenzie and Delaney Streets.
Having been the owners of a similar cafe in Queanbeyan many years earlier, they could even envisage how the shop would look and what sort of giftware they’d sell.
But the timing wasn’t right so Bobby threw herself into the community in other ways, settling the couple’s five children into school and daycare and working as a teacher’s aide at Dayboro school.
“The timing has been perfect, because we’ve had the time to establish relationships and see first-hand what the community could really benefit from in terms of offering more diversity and filling a gap,” Bobby said.
“Our giftware offers something a bit different with a focus on affordability, value and quality. There’s something for everyone here – our range caters for six-month-old bubs through to 80-year-olds, whatever your taste.”
Bobby has set her business hours around community needs, taking into account the school and Kindy just up the road, and Dayboro Performing Arts next door, which often has parents looking to fill in time while their little ones are in class.
Swish has a great children’s area, complete with bean bags and TV for when they’ve had enough playing, and a range of drinks on the menu designed for little hands.
Bobby said Swish was similar to the first cafe she ever worked in, at the age of 15, living in Bungendore, a small town much like Dayboro, just outside Queanbeyan. She met Rob when he moved to Queanbeyan to play for the Canberra Raiders rugby league junior team.
After a successful start with Swish, Bobby and Rob are already planning on expanding to allow them to serve meals alongside their current range of coffee and cakes.
“We will very soon be serving lunches, high tea for groups or parties, Sunday family breakfasts, and will be able to cater for evening events and functions,” Bobby said.
Swish is currently open 7 days a week – Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-1.30pm.
