If you are familiar with Auntie Kitty, you’ll know that I do like to deliver a well-timed surprise; being dramatic is in my nature. I just can’t help it. But honestly, I didn’t want to make you wait any longer than you had to for this news.
Since Dena made the sad announcement that the cafe was up for sale and that she would be stepping away from operations, emotions have been running high. Belisily and Dena have meant so much to our community and I felt first hand how deeply both would be missed. With an outpouring of love for our “hostess with the mostest” and the much beloved play cafe, I read your messages and heard your stories – this space has been more than just a place to grab a cuppa; it has been a sanctuary for families, a hub of community, a safe space and Dena has been guardian and champion of all that.
Knowing all this, you may wonder – why did we keep this transition under wraps until now? Well, the answer is “it’s complicated”. Dena and I both wanted to ensure the decision and arrangements were firmed up before making promises we couldn’t keep. There was a real possibility of getting everyone’s hopes up (staff and customers alike) only for it to all fall through, and I wouldn’t have been able to bear that. So apologies for the radio silence.
So how did this all come to happen? Well… I approached Dena when it became clear to me that we were at risk of the Cafe closing for good, and I said the words that so many people dread hearing: “We need to talk”. I told her that I couldn’t bear to see the Cafe disappear and if she would consider it, I wanted to throw my hat in the ring. Thankfully for me, she was rather pleased at this declaration, and on the promise of keeping things ‘mum’ we started to figure out how Auntie Kitty could keep this little kid’s cafe running! It means the world to me to have the full support of my Belisily Bestie. Thank you Dena for always believing in me and supporting me.
What’s next?
And so, here we are! I am Auntie Kitty, a.k.a. Loz, and I am thrilled to be taking the helm at Belisily Cafe – soon to be “Belisily – The Rainbow Cafe”. Glorious and sparkling and fully honouring the promise of a warm welcome that the Belisily name carries. My goal isn’t just to reopen the doors, but to create a ‘Belisily 3.0’ – brace yourself for some colourful changes.
I hope to build on the hard work by the two wonderful businesswomen who have gone before me, Dena and Diana; who both understood that children need a place to be free to roam, free to choose and free to be themselves. Many of the great things they have established will stay the same but we will be trying some new things too. I know I have very big shoes to fill, luckily I own many pairs of shoes. They fit me pretty well!
You may now be wondering what changes I have in mind, and I intend on keeping you updated on here as things develop but that’s all I can share with you for now. I plan on keeping this page updated with our latest news, so if you want the latest this is where you will find it!
I look forward to welcoming you back to Belisily very soon, with a slight update to include some rainbows. I am Auntie Kitty after all!
