Live: Village People

Village people

To those who live in Subiaco, there’s a feeling of belonging and community, and businesses in this special spot also contribute to the sense of being in a village, says Gail Williams.

If you’re after a bland, token definition of the word, village, just look to your dictionary.

“A village is a place where people live that’s smaller than a city or town.”

We prefer that of Irish author Charles Handy: “Villages are small and personal. Their inhabitants have names, characters, and personalities. What more appropriate concept on which to base our institutions of the future than the ancient social unit whose flexibility and strength sustained human society through millennia?”

Look no further than Subiaco, which has – for almost two centuries now – boasted proudly of its village feel. It’s a cliché when residents are asked what they love about Subi. “Oh, the village feel of it,” residents chortle. But they’re not wrong. Here we meet a few of the suburb’s operators bringing to colourful life Handy’s definition.

Gentleman’s Hair Lounge

Shop 3/34 Subiaco Square Rd, Subiaco Phone: 0403 333 381 Too much side and not enough salad? Here, you’ll get a complimentary nip of Glenmorangie to go with your short back and sides. Forget the striped barber pole, it’s all leather Chesterfields and gilt-edged mirrors inside this classy men’s pampering palace that promises blokes will be treated like kings. Cafe Cafe

8 Subiaco Square Rd, Subiaco Phone: (08) 9388 9800 With an ambient outlook onto the village square, this constantly buzzing hub (which claims to be the longest-standing cafe in Subi for over 30 years) is like a comfortable favourite shoe for regulars who are welcomed with equal gusto along with dogs and their owners. It has a private meeting space, an upstairs and – little-known fun fact for fans of their drunken chicken – it is BYO.

Be Free Organics

9d/531 Hay St, Subiaco Phone: 0405 425 262 If you want to experience a true sense of village belonging, head to Be Free on a Saturday morning and order brioche with rhubarb and strawberry compote. You might just burst into song like The Village People and belt out Macho Macho Man. They’ve launched a new menu - try the Za’atar eggs and granola. They're pretty as a picture, downed

with a smoothie, and then pick up a soy candle on the way out. Natter and banter optional but definitely encouraged.

Unicorn Bar

210 Nicholson Rd, Subiaco Phone: 0431 710 618 Nothing says local like the Unicorn where regulars are so comfy with the friendly staff that they don’t mind a bit when their tardy friends keep them waiting. They just order a chardy and which has already been poured as soon as they’ve walked in. Like the beautiful old building its housed in, everything about this gem oozes class and warmth.

Wholefood Circus

107 Nicholson Road, Shenton Park. Phone: (08) 6380 2196 Rachel Torre is the walking, talking personification of village ethos when she explains what makes Wholefood Circus tick.

“It is a place for everyone, a place for community, a place where you can buy a sticky jam donut, a superfood salad, exotic spices where the team remember your coffee and help you to your car. “ Say no more.

El Peruvian Food Co.

22 Railway Rd, Subiaco Phone: (08) 6102 6726 If it takes a village to raise a child, Lima-born Ian Gatjens is proving that the adage also works for dogs. De Niro the Bull Mastiff is just as popular as his owner, showing Subi a thing or two about Peruvian village food in dishes such as pulled beef toasties. Ian has enough Latin American enthusiasm to make customers feel like he’s lived here forever.

“Being able to share a bit of Peru with you all through our food and music puts a big bloody smile in our hearts.” he says. Back at ya!

Kul Kul

151 Rokeby Road, Subiaco Phone: (08) 9388 7900 Customers stepping into Cheryl Burton’s Kul Kul jewellery store feel an immediate sense of belonging. It doesn’t take long to figure out why as they chat with Cheryl about her love of each piece on display and the abundant knowledge of the stories behind each item.

In villages ,all people are equal, and anyone who walks away with an exquisite handmade ring or brooch, definitely feels that.

Heather Levi Interiors

439 Hay St, Subiaco Phone: 0419 924 038 If you’ve spent three decades decorating the homes in a suburb you get to know a thing or two about the residents. That’s why Heather and Cecil Levi can proudly proclaim they have built strong friendships over years of providing expert advice about interiors - and they’re celebrating 30 years in the same Hay Street store this year.

Like their landmark store, the couple have become, dare we say, part of Subiaco’s social fabric.

FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS Opposite, tuck into some brekkie at Cafe Cafe, try the new menu at Be Free Organics,and book at trim at the Gentleman's Hair Lounge. This page, ceviche at El Peruvian and a glass of something delicious at Unicorn Bar.

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290 Hay Street Subiaco Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm