Three years after taking ownership of a historic hotel in Carcoar, Sunrise television host Edwina Bartholomew has expanded her business portfolio in the Central West.
The 42-year-old and her husband Neil Varcore are the new owners of a cafe in a heritage building in the same town where they plan to open a boutique hotel, Saltash Farm, in March 2027.
Edwina Bartholomew and her husband Neil Varcore at their new cafe, The Village Grocer. Picture Facebook Credit: View
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The ambitious couple purchased, renovated and re-opened the town’s The Village Grocer cafe in time to coincide with Orange Food Week.
“Two weeks ago, we bought a cafe and here’s what has happened since,” the couple posted to Instagram.
The couple revealed the news on Instagram. Picture Instagram Credit: View
A whirlwind renovation and launch saw The Village Grocer open within a fortnight for their first day of service on March 29.
“We have bought the cafe in Carcoar,” Ms Bartholomew said on Instagram.
“It’s super, super exciting. It’s going to be all local produce.
“As you can see [there’s a] bit of work to do but this is kind of the beginning of Saltash Farm, because everything we make over there ends up in here as well.”
The building was last sold in 2020. Credit: View
The cafe is set on the ground floor of a historic building on Belubula Street that dates back to 1876, comprising four terraces and four shopfronts.
The Village Grocer is set at the end of the row of commercial spaces.
The couple hope their latest venture will help drive tourism into the rural town which is a three-and-a-half hour drive to Sydney and about 40 minutes from Bathurst, Orange and Cowra.
“We know it’s not possible to build a project like our hotel in isolation. It only works if it’s built with and for the community that it sits within,” Ms Bartholomew wrote in a column for Country Style.
The Village Grocer shopfront in Carcoar. Credit: View
“The town’s shops need to thrive, and the main street needs buzz. People need a reason to turn off the highway, and sometimes a good coffee and a sandwich is a good start.”
According to Cotality records, the mixed-use property was sold in 2020 for $870,000 with McGrath Orange listing agent Jack Aumuller.
However, Bartholomew and Varcore are not the owners of the building.
The couple with customers at The Village Grocer. Picture Facebook Credit: View
The couple put down roots in Carcoar in early 2023 after snapping up the old Victoria Hotel, which they purchased after selling their Sydney home.
Records show that the couple bought the property, which had operated as a guest house named Stoke House, for $1.9 million at the end of April 2023.
The two-acre property at 12 Naylor Street is undergoing a major restoration that will see the building re-open as a luxury boutique hotel, Saltash Farm.
Edwina and Neil received DA approval for the project in September 2024, more than 18 months after purchasing the run-down pub.
The former pub on Naylor Street will eventually be transformed into a luxury boutique hotel. Credit: View
The challenging project included demolishing features added during a renovation in the 1990s.
Ms Bartholomew told View.com.au they had fallen for not only the property, but the village as well.
“It’s absolutely an asset to have such a unique and protected town like Carcoar,” Ms Bartholomew said in 2023.
A rendered image of the Saltash Farm project. Credit: View
“I think it’s got huge potential, as well as it just being such a wonderful community with so much history too; we’re really excited to be part of it.”
In September 2024, mother-of-two Bartholomew revealed her diagnosis with chronic myeloid leukaemia.
