Opening a speakeasy in regional NSW isn’t the obvious play – but for Nick King, that was the point. With wife Anna Wealands, he’s carved out a space between a pub and fine dining, bringing a unique cocktail experience to Wagga.
For Nick King, opening a bar in regional NSW wasn’t about chasing a trend but about filling a gap he’d experienced firsthand. Wagga Wagga is better known for pubs than polished late-night drinking, so he and wife and business partner Anna Wealands created Olivette, a subterranean, speakeasy-style cocktail bar.
“Historically, whenever we wanted to go away for a weekend, Wagga didn’t have much beyond pubs and a couple of restaurants.
“So, we’d go to Melbourne and visit bars like Caretaker’s Cottage and Nick & Nora’s. Those venues are tight, service-driven, with great drinks and not pretentious pricing,” King says.
When a basement space became available beneath a local hair salon, the idea clicked into place.
“We already had a business plan for a speakeasy elsewhere, so we just pivoted and adapted it to this space, leaning into the prohibition theme.”
More than two years on, King and Wealands have refined the concept without losing sight of its original vision. The food offering has expanded, operations have tightened, and the venue has found its rhythm.
“Having a full-time bar manager has helped a lot. It’s allowed us to build more structure around drink rotations and keep improving what we do.”
King’s path into hospitality wasn’t traditional, but it wasn’t accidental either. Time spent working at the family-run Thirsty Crow gave him exposure to operations, bookkeeping, and venue management.
“COVID also turbocharged our interest in cocktails and more elevated drinking experiences,” he says. “When the opportunity came up, we just ran with it.”
Opening a concept-driven cocktail bar in a regional market might have felt like a gamble a few years ago, but King and Wealands could see the local hospitality scene evolving.
“There’s been a lot of maturing in Wagga’s venues – better standards, better food and drink, more consistency,” he says. “We wanted to fill that middle space… somewhere with table service, elevated drinks and food, but still relaxed and approachable.”
Even with strong support from locals early on, building awareness of Olivette has been a slower process for King and Wealands.
“There are still plenty of people in Wagga who don’t know we exist. It’s hard to promote a speakeasy – you can’t exactly put up a big flashing sign. We lean on word of mouth, social media, and steady community engagement. It’s a slow burn,” he says.
What Olivette has done, though, is offer an alternative.
“It gives people an option beyond pubs, offering somewhere you can go for a good drink, with table service, relaxed atmosphere, good music. People who come here are usually here for the experience, not just cheap drinks.”
Like most venues, shifting consumer habits have been impossible to ignore.
“People just don’t have the same disposable income. Nights out are more selective now. The late-night trade is still there – helped by a 2am licence on weekends – but it’s more measured.”
Behind the scenes, the reality of ownership is less about cocktails and more about logistics.
“People management is constant. Balancing business needs with staff flexibility is tricky. And then there’s the ongoing push to get people through the door. Marketing is a big one,” King says.
That push has led to closer ties with local tourism and council groups – anything that builds visibility.
“Anytime there’s an opportunity, we say yes.”
And then there’s the detail work. In a metro city, certain things are a given. In Wagga, they’re not.
“You can’t really get good ice out here, so, we make it ourselves.” It’s a small detail, but it sums up the approach: if you want a certain standard, you build it yourself.
Olivette isn’t trying to replicate Melbourne or Sydney wholesale. It’s translating that experience – tight rooms, strong drinks, considered service – into a regional context that’s still evolving.
For King, that’s the point. Not bigger. Just better and built for where it is.