Inner-West Pickle Institution and Cafe Cornersmith Marrickville Has Closed Down

Pioneering Marrickville cafe Cornersmith has packed up its preserves, boxed its pickles and departed the corner space it’s occupied for the past eight years. In a statement on Instagram, owners Alex Elliott-Howery and James Grant wrote that they left the cafe this morning but will continue to operate their picklery down the road as well as their other cafe in Annandale.

“We had no idea Cornersmith would grow into the beautiful beast it has become and we are especially proud that it all started in a tiny little corner shop in the middle of Marrickville,” the couple wrote on Instagram. “For now, we are not sure what the next plan is – running a small business and raising a family is hard work and we are looking forward to a little less stress next year.”

Elliott-Howery and Grant say in the post that they will continue “plotting and planning” their next steps, and are keeping their eyes peeled for an empty corner store to move into.

The couple opened Cornersmith in a former Vietnamese bakery on Illawarra Road in 2012. It made the most of local, seasonal produce and turned excess fruit and veg into preserves and ferments back before it was common to see this done in the mainstream across Sydney. This led to the picklery and grocer that they opened down the road in 2013, their all-vegetarian Annandale cafe, which launched in 2016, and two cookbooks.

Not only has Cornersmith educated locals about seasonal produce and how to make the most of it and avoid wastage via its venues and books, it’s given the community that knowledge to home thanks to its fermenting, smoking, bread-making, pickling, passata-making and brewing courses. The community was also encouraged to bring in surplus produce from its gardens in exchange for coffee and pickles.

Cornersmith will continue running its classes and its Annandale eatery will also remain open.