A new Mudgee business synonymous with an iconic piece of fashion history has hit the one month mark.
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The doors to Byron Perry - the birth child of husband and wife music duo, Glenn and Emily Van Reason - first opened on June 4, and has since been identified by many as the bowler hat-wearing cafe.
With a history in the hospitality industry and a desire to work together, the Van Reason's sought to secure their own slice of Mudgee's dining culture, and secured a location on Perry Street at the entrance to Byron Place.
"We started looking around Christmas time for a business venture for ourselves...we decided that we wanted to spend our days working together," Glenn said.
"It's nice to be working with Glenn again, we started out working together so it's been nice to see each other," Emily said.
After milling through options for business names, the couple were soon stuck on one - Byron Perry, a fun combination of Byron Place and Perry Street.
A vintage bowler hat has become the character of the business, with the Van Reason's continuously posting images of the hat on social media with items from their menu and in various locations around the region.
"My wife and I like steampunk and Victorian stuff. I bought the top hat in Sydney, I used it as a prop so people would recognise me when I did trivia at a hotel - I was known as the guy in a hat," Glenn said.
"When we got the design done for Byron Perry, it had a bowler hat. We used it for marketing prior to us opening to build up interest. People know who is behind Byron Perry because of it."
Almost everything on the menu at Byron Perry is homemade by the couple who have prioritised incorporating local ingredients as well as catering to dietary requirements.
"We make everything in house, bar our croissants - I think it's kind of like champagne. We're trying to use as much local content as we can. All of the cakes and pastries we make in house are gluten free, we offer gluten free options on everything," Glenn said.
"The coffee we've selected is a blend of six beans from all over the world. It's kind of like Mudgee - where the world comes to see us and you can come have a coffee with a world of beans in one cup."
While the first four weeks of business have been "busy, long and tiring" for the couple, they have been stunned by the amount of support garnered from locals and look to capitalise on their momentum.
"I would describe it as hectic, it's been fantastic. We've been blown away by the support and reaction we've received," Glenn said.
"We're certainly learning as we go, we're listening to a lot of people and taking on what suggestions they might have.
"We do have a full gelato making facility here. Come Spring, we'll be looking at doing that."
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