Opening a business just as COVID restrictions start to ease would seem like a case of perfect timing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But Ash Camilleri, who opened up Kiama donut shop Moist 'N' Glazed on Saturday, said it wasn't planned that way.
"It just happened to be coincidental, Ms Camilleri said.
"I signed the lease in June and it took us about a month to get everything approved. The fit-up took about another two months.
"I really wanted to open the October long weekend but that was pushed back for some fit-out things.
"I think opening the business when I did at the end of COVID when restrictions started to ease was a blessing.
"I can't imagine having have done this at the start of COVID or even in between - it would have been really tricky."
While signing the lease and getting the Bong Bong Street shopfront ready, Ms Camilleri wasn't too concerned - she made sure she built the store to be able to operate under any restrictions.
"I built it is a takeaway model as I knew if COVID was still around we're not going to be able to sit-ins so I thought let's just do takeaway," she said.
"So I didn't really think about that and I also knew that, with everyone's getting vaccinated, that restrictions will start to ease and even if I'm open for a month or two and it's just takeaway only then it's okay."
Ms Camilleri got the idea to open the donut store after spending some making and delivering dessert boxes across the Illawarra.
They came with donuts, lollies and other sweet things but people kept telling her they just wanted to buy the donuts, so she decided to open the shop.
That had the added benefit of allowing her to move her donut-making out of the kitchen at home.
"I ran into a lot of difficulties there," she said, "and I wanted to scale up with the dessert boxes as well.
"When we're open for a bit longer I'll bring the dessert boxes back because they were really popular and it will be a lot easier in the commercial kitchen that we have now."
The locals were keen to get their hands on some donuts - on opening day last Saturday she said people were already waiting at the door when she arrived at 5.15am.
"We had lines down Bong Bong Street and onto Manning Street from about 9:30 to 10am," she said.
"We were just trying to get through as many people as possible to keep the line moving - I think we sold out around 12:30pm.
"Everyone was excited - everyone's been walking past and waiting for it to open."
The Illawarra Mercury news app is now officially live on both iOS and Android devices. It is available for download in the Apple Store and Google Play.
Sign up for breaking news emails below ...
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
