SHAWTYS, the story

16 years, 9 months and 6 days 
of SHAWTYS 
- For Sam. For my Dad. And for all of you, who wrote this story with us. 
 

Just shy of 18 years ago, my family experienced a heartbreak that changed the narrative of our lives.   
 
Exactly one year and one day later, my Dad opened the door to Shawtys, honouring my sister, Samantha(Shawty), though namesake.

Shawtys was born out of what my Dad calls "a love for doing things well", out of hard work, passion, and grief.   But what may have begun as a labour of loss soon became an endless supply of life for us. 
 
With a background in hairdressing, opening a hospitality business wasn't something my Dad could possibly do on his own - he had an army of help . From extended family, loyal friends and a curious community of locals - they say it takes a village, right?
 
What began with 5 tables soon grew to 30.  Tables that chaperoned families reunited, friendships rediscovered ; flames kindled and rekindled.
 
Shawtys has been a journey,  full of meet-cutes, plot twists, crossroads - and a lot of character development.  It hasn't been short of its challenges, but when I think of the last 16 years, I see all of the good bits - the renovations, evolving menu's, live music, red carpets, Troy's master class of beer - and the last supper. 
 
Of course, the best part was the people. 
 
 
Shawtys really was a family affair. With aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews and nanas all involved in some way, shape or form. And as Shawtys grew, so did we. 
 
 
Summer after summer, we welcomed a stream of workers from around the world who became our family. People from all walks of life were written into the saga, bringing with them their own stories; experiences, skills, and ideas that we could have never discovered on our own. 
 
Every one of them left a mark on Shawtys, and on us - they built the foundations and took a piece home with them. The truth is, the lives entangled in this place, on both sides of the counter, were what made it so special. 
 
But we're on the final pages now. 
 
The story is finally ending for Shawtys. As our family grows and changes, so too do our priorities, our pace and our direction. And for my Dad and Rach, that means finally closing the doors, on 16 years, 9 months and 6 days.  
 
 
I like to think that the hard work, the passion, the grief and all the memories will be embedded in the bones of Shawtys long after we're gone, long after it becomes something new. 
 
It saw the coming and going of people that we loved. It saw laughter and tears, lessons and letdowns, if walls could talk - and all that. 
 
Shawtys brought people together - people from vastly different worlds who might never have crossed paths, and I think that's amazing. For me, it was a safe haven that I gravitated to in search of a sense of place. The catalyst for so many of my adventures thereafter. And I think I speak for us all when I say that above all, it gave us a purpose when we needed it. It grounded us in an unlikely, and unexpected family. 
 
 
So finally, it's the end of an era. We close the book on Shawty's with chapter upon chapter and page upon page of memories that will write the prologue of the next story. Because there always is another story.  
 
Anyway, that's it from me. Except to say thank you from the bottom of my heart - to everyone who wrote, read and inspired this little novella.

​- Gess 

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