“Will that be a pair of True Religion jeans, the Stolen Girlfriends Club outfit or your favourite coffee with a club sandwich, madam?”
Well, it doesn’t quite work that way, but the upmarket women’s clothing shop, Browns of Remuera, has very successfully incorporated a cafe into its elegant surroundings.  You can sit and enjoy an excellent coffee (supplied by Allpress) and ponder on your planned purchases or slip next door to Bilkey & Co for top of the range antique and contemporary jewellery.

 By Robyn Yousef 

Bob and Lynne Bilkey launched the clothing side of their business 21 years ago, following on the success of their well-established jewellery business. The couple now works alongside their daughters, Kirsten and Jenefer, running the trio of complementary businesses in the heart of Remuera.
It was Kirsten who first “floated” the idea of a cafe and she oversees that now, but is also involved with the clothing and jewellery sales.
“It was my love of coffee that started it as I felt it difficult to buy a really good coffee,” she explains. The cafe, which was launched four years ago, is now open from 7.30 am until 5.30 pm during the week days and from 8.30 am on weekends. It’s particularly popular during the “after school rush” as many coffee establishments close much earlier.
At first the cafe was supposed to be located in a very compact corner of the spacious shop. It was also originally thought it would serve coffee and very little in the way of food, but the concept grew and the Browns Cafe now has seating for more than 40 – including a very attractive courtyard area. Plans are also afoot to extend it further with an outdoor area and garden. “We are planning the landscaping now and hope to have it up and running in time for the big influx of visitors for the rugby. We are also discussing an alcohol license as we would love to be able to serve Champagne.”
The décor of the cafe echoes the chic European style of the clothing shop – including a central communal table and a lovely antique school desk complete with colouring pencils and papers for children. The main food lines are all made on the premises and on offer are club sandwiches (the big favourites – especially the classic with chicken, salad and mayonnaise), muffins, cakes and slices. “We are also introducing for winter a gourmet range of pies made by I Love Pies and the kids enjoy our traditional Kiwi milkshakes,” Kirsten adds.
She believes the three businesses work very well together and the family team obviously has an excellent working relationship. “We all work together well. When we first started the process I was worried what would happen if the barista rings in sick and so we all learnt how to make the coffee. Bob and Kirsten are the family coffee specialists and she firmly believes that the coffee shop has succeeded because of the quality of their coffee.
“I see people driving past other coffee shops to get to us. I believe the quality of every single coffee served has to be excellent. I constantly check the coffee going out and know it all comes down to the coffee. And I’m very, very fussy about my own coffee,” she grins, raising her latte.
In the cafe, a staff of four assists Kirsten. The manager is Amy Yang, who has worked there since its very early days. There is a friendly buzz about the shop and the staff obviously enjoy their jobs. “We have many regulars and people from all age groups. Many of our customers have got to know us very well – they even know my three children and my sister’s two.” Kirsten says.
The Bilkey family is looking forward to the new extension of their business. It’s also very important to them all that the cafe be “family friendly.” “It’s nice for families to go out together for a coffee and the children will have a beautiful garden to play in when the development is finished.”
While Kirsten enjoys the challenge of working in all three businesses, she’s also a very busy young mother. “Recently I served a woman in the clothing store and then went on to sell her some jewellery. She asked me if I worked everywhere and my mother commented that I should have added I have two-year-old twins and a four-year-old,” she laughs.
And a new service the cafe has on offer is largely a result of her very busy life. “When I was leaving home with the children and needed a coffee, I decided to text my order through so it was ready when I arrived at the shop. Now we are offering this option to many of our regulars.”