When Carrie Silke left a 20-year nursing career, she trusted a feeling more than a plan. “I believe everything happens for a reason,” she says. “If something’s meant to be, it will happen for you – I’m very strong on that.”
That intuition led her from hospital wards to an interest in café ownership – and ultimately to Ziggy + Kit, the Queenscliff café she now runs alongside her daughter Riley.
It wasn’t a conventional hospitality entrance. Until two years ago, Carrie was somewhat an industry outsider, working in cafés through university, and wasn’t seriously looking for a café to buy. Until she stumbled across a listing on Facebook.
“I came and looked at it, it was completely different to what it looks like today, but I could see the bones were there.”
The lease transfer fell into place quickly, reinforcing that sense of timing and fate. It was meant to be.
Two years on, that feeling remains. Ziggy + Kit is doing better than Carrie could have hoped. It has carved out a niche in a highly competitive coastal market – no small feat in a town with nine other cafés. Standing out meant doing espresso well, but thinking beyond it too.
“We needed to have a point of difference,” Carrie says. “We lean into specialty coffee and do things a little differently. We have a strong matcha offering, and we invested in a canning machine for takeaway iced lattes and matcha.”
The shop has also evolved into a hybrid café–retail concept. A curated pantry and small-batch homewares range out back showcases makers Carrie admires and supports – particularly small and local producers.
“It’s things you won’t find anywhere else in Queenscliff,” she says. “It’s all the things I love.”
Growth has come quickly – so quickly, in fact, that upgrading equipment became an operational necessity. Ziggy + Kit recently installed a La Marzocco machine and Anfim grinder built for heavier demand. The business initially partnered with a major roaster and received excellent training, but recently switched to one with more of a regional focus, and has been extremely happy with the new partnership.
“One of my strengths is my ability to deal with change, it’s something I embrace. We tried a few different coffees on our regulars, and this one stood out by far,” says Carrie. “We also needed equipment and coffee that could work harder for us and deliver better quality, faster.”
But beneath the strategy and investment lies something more personal – family.
Running Ziggy + Kit with Riley has strengthened the mother-daughter bond. Plus, Carrie’s son and husband also chip in as needed, making the 20-minute trip from St Leonards where they live.
“It’s another point of difference for us. Because we’re family, we represent the business strongly. We’ve all got a part in it, and we want every customer that comes into our shop to feel like they are part of our family as well.”
The most rewarding aspect is seeing the café become a social anchor for locals, including those who may not have community elsewhere.
“We give them that safe space,” Carrie says. “People can sit for 10 minutes or half the day. Sometimes they talk, sometimes they don’t. But slowly, they’ve created their own network inside the café walls.”
Ziggy + Kit
77A Hesse Street, Queenscliff, Victoria, 3225
Open Wednesday 6.30am to 11am, Thursday & Friday 6.30am to 3pm, Saturday & Sunday 6.30am to 4pm, Monday 6.30am to 3pm
