Thus far, Sam Holman and Eli Rami have based their burgeoning hospitality group around being of service – catering to a need and offering a dependable product. Their twin coffee dispensaries, Blackout in Paddington and St. Lucia’s If You Say So, sling caffeine every day of the year, while the group’s wine bar, Noir, helped invigorate Paddington’s nighttime scene with an approachable but discerning range of vino. In the same vein, Mis•spelt is looking to fill another gap in the local market, bringing a range of carby delights to a strip long in need of a sourdough source. “We’ve always just built what people want us to build,” says Sam when we catch up with him the day before Mis•spelt’s official opening on Saturday October 8. “For us, we’re all about community – if the community wanted us to build a bookshop, we’d have put in a bookshop. People have been asking us to do a bakery for the better part of a year.” The locals spoke and Sam and Eli listened. Mis•spelt sits on the corner of Collingwood Street and Hazelwood Street, right next to Blackout. It comes after Blackout’s recent July relocation, which saw the crew moved the pint-sized pit stop one space over from its original location, whereupon they split the space in two. One half belongs to Blackout’s moody, cement-heavy hideaway, while the other houses a bright and welcoming bakery boasting blush tones, terrazzo counter tops and blonde timber. It makes for a handy two-in-one locale, where morning essentials can be collected in a breeze. “You can come in and grab your coffee, go through the [connecting] archway and grab your pastries then go home – or vice versa ,” explains Sam, who designed the space, which was then built by Brian McKenny of MacWest Constructions.

Mis•spelt differs from conventional bakeries in the sense that its loaves and treats aren’t baked on site. Sam and Eli, both self-confessed baking neophytes, embarked on a search for a sourdough-savvy crew to partner on the concept, which operates more of a retail resource. Sam likens the process to that of opening Noir, where skilled staff were given the keys and assigned core roles, helping build the business and its product range from the outset. “We’re not wine people,” Sam confesses. “We find really good wine people and get them to buy into the business and come along for the ride.” At Mis•spelt, the brains behind wholesale artisan baking crew Farine & Co. (who also operate Doughcraft in Albion) have teamed up with Sam and Eli to curate and assemble the shop’s ever-evolving range. “They’ve been awesome,” says Sam. “They’ve come up with lines just for us. They’re collaborating in a shareholder capacity, too, so they’ve got skin in the game – it’s their product on the line, it’s our face. We want to do them proud.” The range itself is headlined by bread – from your original, multigrain and wholemeal sourdough loaves to olive-and-rosemary sourdoughs, kamut turmeric loaves, walnut and pistachio rye, blue-cheese baguettes, and a special spelt loaf made exclusively for Mis•spelt. Cabinet items include croissants, pain au chocolate, and danishes – the latter of which range from the fruit-filled kind to savoury selections filled with the likes of potato veloute, roasted tomato and pesto, and salmon and remoulade. Deli-style sandwiches are also on offer, with flavours including chicken salad, curried-egg with Bloody Mary chilli jam and New York-style salami. Along the central wall sits two retail shelves, loaded with everything you might want to smother on bread – we’re talking pantry essentials like vegan hazelnut spreads, chilli oil, anchovies, mustards and assorted provisions from Paddington Jams and Fino Foods.

Mis•spelt is open to the public from Saturday October 8. Head to the Stumble Guide for operating hours and other details.