Written by Vanessa Burton, March 2015

Coffee and Dolphins…. Could anyone suggest a better way to start the morning? An awesome new space has just been redeveloped and it couldn’t be better placed. The Harts Collective rests above the water, nestled in behind Port Adelaide’s Hart’s Mill boasting a clean open-plan, shared space.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside but from the minute you walk in you feel instantly calm and completely at ease. You have essentially stepped into an industrial glass box atop the water but with it’s great abundance of natural light, panoramic views of the old Port and of course the regular visits from the Port River dolphins its quite serene and a great place to enjoy your breakfast.

The Collective consists of four different small businesses run by local creatives and includes Folklore Cafe, This Wee Piggy, Scent Wilde and Mrs Lipstein.

Anika Havey who owns the delightful Folklore café offers a variety of gourmet foods from scrumptious kangaroo island honey and pistachio cheesecake to small handmade pizzas, and interesting salads and sandwiches. Anika told us she likes to pop across to the Torrens Island fresh produce market on a Sunday morning to keep her stocks up and likes keeping things interesting by regularly tweaking the menu.

Heather Harris creator of This Wee Piggy sells quirky hand crafted wooden and beaded jewellery, homewares and cute little gift cards.

Rebecca O’Connor of Scent Wilde carries hand crafted natural skin products, that are paraben free, sulfate free and artificial colourant free. Made from essential oils they feel and smell delicious.

Cate Oaten-Hepworth from Mrs Lipstein occupies the far end of the pod and coordinates a number of craft activities including sewing classes for those young and old.

The space is so versatile that it is opened up on Mondays to Emma Vandenbergh who instructs yoga and Tina Gibson who guides Meditation classes. The team are also considering opening the space up to monthly local art exhibitions.

Enjoy!