Macandrew Bay cafe The Duck announced on social media yesterday it had closed "for the forseeable future" after trading for the final time on Tuesday.
Owner and founder Emma Strybosch said the past four months, December in particular, had been really difficult for the business financially.
"A couple of big bills and that’s all it takes.
"Everybody is struggling at the moment."
She started The Duck about five years ago — the vision for it to be "a community hub more than a cafe" — and it was "really heartbreaking" its time had come to an end.
"It was always supposed to be fun and not too serious, and casual, where anybody could feel comfortable.
"We always wanted to make sure that nobody felt excluded and that anybody could walk in and just feel like that they were supposed to be there."
It also hosted live music.
"It’s been the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my entire life — including giving birth to my child, so even harder and even more rewarding than that."
She had since received several supportive texts and emails from neighbours and the community who were all heartbroken, Ms Strybosch said.
The cafe was supposed to be for people who lived in the area "because they deserve to have somewhere to go".
"I’m sure they’ll just be lost.
"They’ll have nowhere to go, and I really feel for them."
There were some plans in the pipeline and, if everything went well, the cafe could potentially be reopened under new management sometime soon, she said.
A highlight for her at the cafe had been its cheeseburgers.
"If the place is to reopen, I have no doubt that it will still be on the menu — we couldn’t take it off."
