There’s no denying that Covid hit many industries, but perhaps one of the hardest hit was the tattoo industry, which came to a grinding halt as restrictions were enforced. As the owner of Darkhorse Initiative tattoo studio, Sean Henry, along with his artists, were suddenly without work. Determined not to let that happen again, Sean decided then and there to diversify, which was the catalyst for Walk-ins Welcome. The team has transformed the former fruit shop next door to the tattoo studio into the grungy sip spot, which opened its doors on Friday July 21. The vision, Sean says was to fill a gap in the area. “We needed something in Chirn Park, it’s a beautiful area with so many great things available,” he says. Rather than do it on his own, Sean offered his team the opportunity to come on board as shareholders. And so, the team got to work building the bar from the ground up, literally. They plastered, painted and constructed the bar using recycled wood they sanded and burnt themselves. It’s a real labour of love, with elements of their collective interests scattered around the place, from the old-school Pac-Man game to the flash tattoo designs that line the walls. If you see something you like, you can book it in and get it done next door.

Walk-ins Welcome champions community over competition and supports as many local brewers and distillers as they can. Among the ranks you’ll find rum from Burleigh’s Capricorn Distilling Co. and gin from WildFlower and White Oat Distillery, alongside beers from Black Hops Brewing, Arundel’s Hound and Stag Brewing Co and Madocke Beer Brewing Co, to name a few. As for the food, while Walk-ins doesn’t have a menu per se, you can order food from any of the local eateries, which span the spectrum from Vietnamese and Thai to ramen and Indian, and tuck in at one of their tables. If you have a hankering for pizza, you can order from Lambar Pizza next door and they’ll bring it straight to your table. “Pretty much everything is covered in the area,” Sean says. “I’m a local, I’ve been in this area for a long time and the community of people that own shops here is awesome, we’re all friends.”

If you’re keen to check out Walk-ins Welcome, hit our Stumble Guide for opening times.