THIS year is one of great significance for Eglinton's The Church Block, as 2022 marks two decades since Lisa and Peter Davis bought the land.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In addition to the 20-year milestone, the café on the block celebrated three years of business last Friday.
When they bought the land in 2002, it featured nothing but a run-down church which had been built in 1900 and originally named the Muller Memorial Church.
OTHER RECENT BUSINESS STORIES:
Restoring the church, now known as St Luke's Anglican Church, was the first step towards Ms Davis bringing her Eglinton community hub vision to life.
Now the block features the café as well as the Calare Skin and Beauty salon and yoga classes with Mindful Movements in the church.
"When we bought the block about 20 years ago, it was always going to be something like this; I've had it in my mind for a very long time," Ms Davis said.
"A lot of people said 'you should be putting duplexes on there', [but] it was never going to be one of those blocks because it's been part of the community for so long and it needed to stay that way.
"We still have people who used to come to church here that still now come back to the space."
Though Eglinton is a rapidly growing community, Ms Davis said it hadn't lost its village vibe.
Centrally located next to Eglinton Public School and across from the Eglinton park, The Church Block is in a prime position and has developed into a social hub for the community.
With a number of additions that could be made to the premises, the next step will be diving into the history of the church and Eglinton.
Ms Davis plans to display her historical findings in the church for the community to enjoy.
"We've really consolidated our spot as an Ego [Eglinton] hub," she said.
"I think it's grown in the direction we'd initially hoped [and is] still growing, of course."
Ms Davis is looking forward to getting on with 2022 and thanked the community for its support.