Raglan’s Blacksands cafe has closed down. On Saturday 23rd June, it was all locked up with tables and facilities still in place inside. The cafe’s lease at 17 Bow Street on the Wainui Road corner, had expired and the cafe’s owner says it was not renewed by the landlord. The cafe building is owned by Raglan North Shore Limited, a company owned by nine Raglanites and three international investors.
A similar situation in 2013 when the Raglan West store closed was soon followed by the opening of a Raglan Roast cafe, the Food Department.
Often referred to as the ‘sands’ by it supporters, the Blacksands cafe struggled to attract patrons with more terrible than excellent reviews on Tripadvisor and scores averaging 3 out of 5.