28/12/2025
Bringing this overwhelming year to a close unfortunately we won’t be seeing you in 2026 😢 Not in the form of Shell Yeah anyway 🧜🏽♀️ But you never know where Jake & I could honestly pop up next.
Near two years ago I moved here with a plan of starting a new life. I grew up in foster care and fell pregnant with Jake at 15. Jake spent his first nine years in care before returning home to a less than perfect predicament. We lived below the poverty line and struggled everyday 🤷🏼♀️
I faced severe abuse and trauma in foster care, and into my adulthood and after Jake’s return. Two years ago for the first time in either of our lives we were offered a chance at freedom. And I really wanted to take it with both hands 🙌
We were left a sum of money that I didn’t want to be in vain. And after losing every living relative either of us had on the planet in the most literal sense. We were left alone.
I picked out Batemans Bay on the map from eight hours away not knowing a soul here🫥
I’ve worked in other peoples cafes since I was 15 and I knew I had the skills to at least get it off the ground and have a red hot go 🔥 and that we really did. When we first started organising Shell Yeah and even our first opening month neither of us even drove.
Jake was taking driving lessons and made that happen for us but prior to that we would walk from Surfside to our shop to be there at 7am for an 8am start.
And the first time I walked over the bridge on the way to my shop I cried real authentic tears of happiness cause I’d done everything I knew I could. I’d organised every part on foot and public transport and I made Shell Yeah happen and come to life, with the little bit of magic still left in me 🪄
Originally though Shell Yeah 🧜🏽♀️ was never planned to be in that location. I’d seen an advert for a tiny petite little shop in Surfside which I thought that’s perfect for me. I could walk to work no worries, it’s small and manageable, while I knew next to nothing about running a business myself and had never done so before, I know my customer service is top tier. And every time I’ve worked in another place I’ve always thought to myself there’s just a couple of things I would’ve done differently to make it really special 🌸
I was confident I could learn what I needed to about my very small business on the ground running and invest in something that would potentially make Jake and I’s future a lot brighter. That being said someone else had quickly occupied this small space and I agreed to look at a couple of others 😅
While I had no intention of opening a shop in Batemans Bay and being put straight onto the map with your favourite food spots around the bay, I fell in love with the building at Beach Rd, I knew I could turn it into a real treasure trove of a place to visit 💎
Was I ready? No. Was Jake ready? No! But I give my son 1000 points for getting up with me everyday before the crack of dawn and sometimes still coming back in the dark after all the tasks at hand. Could we afford to pay ourselves the whole time we were open? No! Did we make any money? Absolutely not.
But without all the bells and whistles 🔔 and to make it as special as I possibly could for everyone to enjoy and entice you to come to my brand new often sh*tshow/shop, the hot pink coffee machines, the fish and mermaid themed everything, the average $40 plates/jugs for every customer made my dream come to life, and with the people I got to share it with that really appreciated what I was trying to do, I’m really grateful for.
Unfortunately all these things cost a lot of money, and as an average person walking into a cafe, look I get it! Alot of people can easily say $17 for a burger! It doesn’t cost $17 to make a burger it’s a rip off their making a killing! Myself included if I wasn’t more educated on the subject.
But you’ve gotta remember first comes the rent which isn’t cheap, the electricity, water, gas, cost of the goods- food- takeaway containers and in that our labour which is usually factored in as well but not in our case. Your profit margin under those circumstances will never be enormous, especially with other staff to pay which I wasn’t even close to being in the position to afford yet 😩
We worked our little butts off, our days “off” only the two of us were organising things to keep the shop ongoing. I put alot of pressure on both of us, which unfortunately emotionally and financially just wasn’t sustainable for us right now.
We really appreciate the customers that returned and tried as hard as they could to continue their loyalty to our humble little shop 🥹 I had hoped to be able to afford more staff alot sooner some days we were absolutely packed busting at the seams, others it was an absolute ghost town the majority of the day.
One cup of coffee from us every single day or even just once from every person in town would have made a massive difference to our revenue but like for us we understand for EVERYONE money is tight and for some this is not viable in today’s economy 💰
Look I’m diagnosed ADHD, surprise 😂 Suspected autistic with a hint of BPD and indefinitely PTSD. And I did that! With little to f**k all support except from our friends, we met in this town, we now call our family.
It’s heartbreaking to shut my shop so quickly and sooner than expected but it’s a bloody tough gig and we take our hats off to every single shop in this town that keeps those wheels turning to serve our amazing community every single day cause it’s not easy and extremely costly. They do it with a smile on their face and deserve the upmost recognition for that 🏆
I’ve indefinitely learnt from mistakes I’ve made this year, and while it cost me alot of money, stress, blood sweat and tears.. we also at times really did have alot of fun and made alot of people smile and ultimately that was more important to me even when I knew I was losing but it would be foolish to continue and run it completely into the ground and cost us anymore😒
Next year is about healing, growing, taking time and continuing to move forward at a steady pace, cause slow and steady really wins the race 🥇 Again thankyou to everyone that came to enjoy a piece of Shell Yeah even if it was only just once, your families laughing and smiling made it special, without you it was just an empty pink and blue shop 🩷🩵 Wishing you health and happiness in 2026, sea you around 🌊 Sorry, I’ll probably miss my fishy puns the most 😂🩵
