The Teeny Rabbit hops into Newport
Virginia Rabottini and her husband started The Teeny Rabbit (Rabottini = Teeny Rabbit, geddit?) ten years ago just when the whole food truck industry was starting to take off.
“We didn’t want to serve food, but we liked the idea of offering coffee and a small range of gifts to service events at local parks, sports grounds and markets,” says Virginia. “So we bought a secondhand van, completely refurbished it with cabinetry and display cases, sourced a coffee machine, got all the permits together, and launched in 2012.”
The couple had planned for both of them to eventually quit their day jobs to operate The Teeny Rabbit. However, their circumstances changed and so The Teeny Rabbit became Virginia’s project, which she operated on a part-time basis while raising young children.
For a decade the mobile coffee and giftware van has been a popular feature at markets, sporting events and auctions in Melbourne’s west, including the Altona Miniature Railway’s monthly open days.
Then March 2020 hit and in-person events came to a halt. Twelve months of bookings disappeared.
“Fortunately in 2019 Gill Gannon from Wilde Interiors put a shoutout on Facebook looking for a co-tenant for her lifestyle store in Newport. My offering of jewellery and women's accessories really complemented what Gill was already doing and we talked about how I could incorporate coffee into the mix,” smiles Virginia.
“… I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I can cheer people up each day with a coffee, a chat and maybe a beautiful product as a treat for themselves or someone else.”
VIRGINIA RABOTTINI
“I parked The Teeny Rabbit van out the front of the shop on Challis Street a couple of times. But it didn’t really work because the big van blocked the shopfront and I would be making coffee inside the van then running into the shop to serve shoppers.”
Then with COVID-19 restrictions, there were no events for Virginia to attend with her van and retail shops had to close. Gill and Virginia put their heads together to come up with ideas on how to keep their businesses afloat.
“I was really worried. All my event bookings were cancelled, I had all these products in a retail shop that was closed, I was homeschooling kids and my husband was stood down from his full time job,” says Virginia. “Then Gill mentioned that there was a disused bungalow at the back of Wilde Interiors and maybe we could turn it into a pop up coffee window.”
In August 2020 Virginia and her husband slowly began renovating the space on a tight budget, clearing out the overgrowth, fixing the falling-down fence and investing in new coffee equipment.
“Then when things opened up again in late 2020 we were able to take the van out to events, so the renovation took a back step. We also didn’t know what 2021 would bring so we were worried that the van would be so busy that we wouldn’t actually be able to work in the pop up as well. Investing time and money into creating the coffee window was a gamble.”
But Melbourne’s continued lockdowns in 2021 have meant that The Teeny Rabbit’s coffee window has become a popular addition to the Newport neighbourhood since its launch in June 2021. They serve Genovese coffee and are looking at sourcing some small snacks to go with the coffee.
“Fortunately for us, the gamble has paid off. The Teeny Rabbit’s coffee window has been our lifesaver and allowed us to continue to work during lockdowns. I really appreciate having my own little permanent space where I get to come to work.
“And I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I can cheer people up each day with a coffee, a chat and maybe a beautiful product as a treat for themselves or someone else.”
