Poppyseed Cafe on Darling Street is Dubbo's newest brunch spot

While the cafe has already brought her so much joy in its first few weeks of operation, Ms Skinner said she wished her late father - whose honour the cafe was named in - was around to enjoy it.

"I'm really sad that he's not here to see it. I would have loved for him to come with mum, who stops by every week, because he loved his sweets and he loved his cuppas," she said.

"He was a man of integrity and loved to talk and share. He was a man that was joyful and laughed a lot and made us laugh a lot. This is a big tribute to him and the life that he lived. He lived to serve others as well and that's what I'm passionate about."

"He would have really enjoyed it here."

Poppyseed Cafe opened its doors at 174 Darling Street in April and is fast becoming a popular spot for coffee and a feed. And with a sunny, dog-friendly courtyard and vibrant coloured cupcakes nestled in the glass display it's not hard to see why.

"It's been about a 15 year dream of mine to do something like this," Ms Skinner said.

"I want it to be a place for people to come and feel like they can belong and connect, full of laughter and wonderful conversations - the kind of place where people can sit for three hours and have a cuppa with a friend."

"We'd had some hard things happen with my father passing away before Christmas with COVID, and a couple of my kids struggling with their mental health. And I just thought the family needed something to gather in and all own and belong."

"It just felt so right to be heading this way. And all my family have been part of it."

Before starting on the journey towards opening her own business, Ms Skinner was a teacher's aide in a school for over ten years. At the time she was battling an autoimmune disease which made it difficult to work full time.

But as her health improved, she had a drive to do more.

"I loved what I did. I particularly loved the time I had with the kids to help them grow educationally and socially and emotionally," she said.

"But for a good year I had a yearning in me that it was time to do something different. And then there was a path of discovery about what that looks like for me - I studied for a bit to be a teacher and it just didn't feel right."

"Then it was actually my husband who said 'why don't you open a cafe'?"

When she settled on the idea to open a cafe, Ms Skinner started looking for businesses that were for sale. Eventually she was put in touch with Amy Rutherford who was looking to sell her much-loved Darling Street cafe, known for its colourful cakes and fairy-floss pink walls.

"Amy hadn't even put the cafe on the market yet but she called me the next day and I was sold," said Ms Skinner.

"I loved what she was already doing and when I came to visit I felt the family atmosphere - I saw her kids here, I saw her parents coming in in the afternoon - and that really appealed to me."

Amy's Cafe had its last day of trade on April 13 and - one week and a fresh coat of paint later - Poppyseed Cafe was open. While Ms Rutherford was sad to close the doors of her cafe she was happy to be able to pass on the reins to Ms Skinner and her family.

"The end of my journey is the start of someone else's," said Ms Rutherford.

"I'm so excited for Millie and her family to make their dream cafe a reality and continue to build up this magical space on Darling Street."

Though it's still early days, Ms Skinner credits the cafe's warm atmosphere and success so far to the fantastic team Ms Rutherford built - who have stayed on to work at Poppyseed Cafe - and the help of her family.

"It's been a huge learning curve but thankfully my husband, who's also a teacher, has done business before and I was in hospitality for quite a few years before becoming a teacher's aide and loved it," she said.

"My husband's doing a lot of the work behind the scenes - paying everyone, making everything work. He's the one keeping it all on track. We're a team."

In the coming weeks, Poppyseed Cafe will be rolling out a new menu - including milkshakes and sundaes inspired by Bells Milk Bar in Broken Hill, where Ms Skinner spent some time living.

Although exciting things are ahead, Ms Skinner said it's talking to customers and getting to know the community she loves most about running a cafe.

"One day it was a quiet day and no one was here except for me and my son, Ethan. She had just had her pet put down at the vet down the road and thought she'd come in to treat herself," said Ms Skinner.

"We'd actually just put down a couple of our long term pets, so Ethan and I were really sympathetic, and we chatted with her. At the end of it she just said 'I'm so glad I stopped by, this is exactly what I needed'."

"They're the moments that count. I want to be a blessing to people."

Poppyseed Cafe is open from Tuesday to Friday between 7:30am and 5:00pm and on Saturday from 8:00am to 2:00pm.

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