One of the country's top cafe owners has been forced out of her original Queenstown site.
Vudu Cafe closes its doors today after 19 years in Beach St in the resort.
Michelle Freeman - whose new Bespoke Cafe was last month voted New Zealand's best in an annual competition - said she was devastated to be leaving her ‘‘quaint'' original premises.
The building and two neighbouring sites were bought by the Davies family, headed by Sir John Davies, for about $10million a year ago. The buildings
will be demolished this month and replaced, at a cost of $2million, by three 90sqm retail premises with offices above.
‘‘I wish we could be here for another 20 years,'' Ms Freeman said.
‘‘But we're leaving because the landlords are kicking us out and pulling the building down.''
Vudu's current rent is about $140,000 a year but the new premises would be an extra $40,000, she said.
The cafe owners had been offered the chance to apply for a lease on the new premises but chose not to because of the higher rent and cost of a fit-out.
Mike Davies, director of family company Beach Street Holdings Ltd, told Mountain Scene in October the premises were about to fall over and could not be modified.
When contacted yesterday, Mr Davies declined to comment on Ms Freeman's frustrations.
