Cafe Marma opened its doors on October 5, just before the Murtoa Big Weekend and Murtoa Show.

Owner Chris Bowden said the shop had been constantly busy since.

“We were flat out; people couldn’t get in the door that weekend,” he said.

Originally from Melbourne, Mr Bowden said he wanted to open a cafe in Murtoa because there wasn’t a place in town for people to “grab a coffee and have a chat”.

“I have managed cafes for other people before and I was also a baker, so I thought I’d just open it,” he said.

“There was a need for it and thought if I didn’t do it, someone else would. I also got tired of not even being able to get a coffee in town. 

“I wanted it to be a place where people could meet and have a chat, read a book or the paper, have a coffee, and have something to eat for breakfast or lunch.”

He said the main drawcard for the cafe would be the wide range of cakes that were brought up from Melbourne.

“We have a huge variety and they are selling very fast,” he said.

“We’re also doing hot food like barbecue chickens, about 18 varieties of pies, curries and focaccias – all sorts of stuff. We’re trying change-up the menu.”

Mr Bowden said the support from the Murtoa community had been “fantastic”.

“The community are happy that someone has finally open something here. We have employed a few locals,” he said.

“I’ve put all the hard work into it to make it look good and it has come up pretty nice.

“We’re hoping the support continues and that we continue to grow over the next few months. It’s only been a few weeks, so we’ll so how things go.

“I didn’t expect fancy cakes to sell here, but they have been a really big hit.”

Cafe Marma is located on McDonald Street, Murtoa.

“This is a good spot to be because everyone comes by after going to the hardware shop or supermarket,” he said.

Cafe Marma is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 5pm. The cafe is open until 7pm on Fridays.