What’s opening - and what’s closing - in ‘fickle’ Wellington
Friday, 30 January 2026
Just a day after one of the capital’s long-standing seaside cafes closed for good another popular Wellington cafe announced it too was shutting its doors.
Lyall Bay’s Spruce Goose cafe will close in a fortnight. That will follow the official last days of Shelly Bay institution the Chocolate Fish cafe and Leuven Belgian Beer Cafe which pulled its last pint on Wednesday after 25 years in business.
The seaside cafe said on social media it had been unable to secure a new lease on the site. Its last day would be February 8.
“After 12 incredible years, Spruce Goose will be closing its doors,” it said.
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“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to secure a new lease, which means it’s the end of the road for us in this space.
“While this isn’t how we hoped this chapter would end, we are endlessly grateful for the love, support and loyalty you’ve shown us over the years.”
Hundreds of messages of support followed, with many recalling the magic times they had spent there.
“My husband and I had our first date here when I was new to Wellington and we get a coffee every time we walk the dog at the beach,” said one post.
“That is just so sad, such a fun quirky place and great for plane spotting, loved it,” said another.
The cafe is owned by Wellington hospitality stalwart Nick Mills.
It is understood a new operator, with other venues in Wellington, has plans to take over the site.
Wellington closures
The French Cancan, which had been a fixture in Newtown for many years, also closed for good last week, noting that the loss of its main wholesale customer meant the business was no longer sustainable.
Meanwhile, the capital’s economic woes were being cited in the shock closure of two other CBD businesses.
Cuba St store Minerva, which stocks New Zealand’s largest range of textile and handcraft books as well as a selection of crafting material, kits and gifts, is closing its doors on February 28, after 33 years, while Shut The Front Door, a gift and homewares store in College St, is set to close in a fortnight.
Minerva owner Anne Scott said Wellington’s “fickle” retail market, combined with the likelihood of another “long quiet winter” prompted her decision.
While she had a loyal customer base and Christmas had been busy, business had continued to fall away.
“It’s tough, it’s very sad, but how long do you wait for it to get better?
“I may not miss the daily challenges of running a business, but I will miss the stories, projects and inspirations shared with customers. I leave feeling proud to have carved out the unique niche in Cuba Street that Minerva has filled for so long.”
Similarly Shut The Front Door’s Lily Fletcher pointed to public service job cuts and a changing customer base as reasons it was pulling out of Wellington.
“There’s just not enough foot traffic. There’s been four or five others closures on the street in the last couple of years … like the rest of the city it’s been a lot quieter since the job cuts.”
Its four other stores ‒ three in Auckland and one in Christchurch ‒ would remain open.
On a brighter note, New Plymouth brewery Three Sisters has opened in what was formerly home to the short-lived Black Dog Brewery in Blair St.
Owner Joe Emans told The Post he had been looking at opening another venue for a while.
While hospitality had “been doing it hard” everywhere, there were “definitely signals” Wellington was worth the gamble, he said.
“We’ve done a lot of festivals and events here, plus Wellington has the best craft beer scene in the country.
“You can see there are places who are doing something interesting that are quite busy and there’s others that don’t seem to be doing well. We just felt there was an opportunity to add a fresh injection”
Other recent hospitality openings in the capital include daytime cafes Earth and Monkeys and Overcooked, both at the northern end of Lambton Quay, and Leafy Stop, a vegan cafe in Kilbirnie.