Last Sunday, we lost our little cafe to a devastating arson attack in North Fitzroy.

We opened And Bodega in July after 5 months of DIY renovations, an enormous amount of physical work, and pouring more than $100,000 of our life savings into creating the place we'd always dreamed of. Those that have been following our journey on Instagram know that we did much of the work ourselves, built everything from the ground up, and had been open for barely three months when the firebombing at the neighbouring tobacconist changed everything.

Since then, we've been trying to wrap our heads around the damage, navigate insurance, and work out what comes next. To make matters worse, we've also had a break-in, with equipment and technology stolen from the cafe.

We've now learned that, given the scale of the damage across all three affected sites, rebuilding the buildings could take around 12 months. Sadly, it looks like our time at 340 St Georges Road has come to an end, and the dream of running And Bodega from that particular little corner of Fitzroy North is no longer something we can count on.

It's heartbreaking. Not just because of the money we've lost, but because of everything that went into creating that space, and the little community we were only just beginning to build.

We are incredibly grateful that our contents insurance is expected to provide a $25,000 payout. But after everything that happened, that money simply isn't enough to recreate what we built or get us back on our feet.

So we're trying to find another way forward.

Rather than give up on And Bodega, we'd love to start again on a smaller scale. We're dreaming of finding a little takeaway window where we can serve our bakes and coffee, keep making the things we love, bring our team back together where possible, and continue building the business we've worked so hard to create. Something small for now, with the hope of building something bigger again when we're in a position to do so.

To help us take those first steps, we're hoping to raise $20,000.

The money will help us meet outstanding commitments to our staff and suppliers for the week of trading we'd prepared for before the incident, repair equipment we're able to salvage, replace essential equipment that was damaged or stolen, and give us a little breathing room to work towards a smaller new home for And Bodega.

We don't have every answer yet, and we know there's a long road ahead. We'll keep sharing updates as we work through the insurance process and figure out what starting again can look like.

We also know that times are tough for so many people, and we don't take it lightly to ask for help. If you're able to contribute, every little bit will make a difference. If you can't, sharing this fundraiser or simply continuing to support small, independent businesses means just as much to us.

Over the past few days, we've seen two very different sides of humanity: the senselessness of violence, and the extraordinary kindness of people who have rallied around us, checked in on us, and reminded us that we're not alone in this.

We built And Bodega because we believe in good food, kindness, and creating places where people feel welcome. We'd love the chance to keep doing that, even if it looks a little different from what we first imagined.

Thank you for being here, for caring, and for helping us believe that this isn't the end of our story.

With love and gratitude,

Manali and Ash

And Bodega

P.S. This is a photo from our wedding last year (October 2025) when the dream of owning a cafe was forming in our minds.