# Cafe destroyed in tobacco shop firebombing

> A Melbourne couple's vegan cafe was gutted when a neighbouring tobacco shop was firebombed, the latest in a spate of arson attacks on tobacconists.
- Title: Cafe destroyed in tobacco shop firebombing · the Guardian
- Summary: A Melbourne couple's vegan cafe was gutted when a neighbouring tobacco shop was firebombed, the latest in a spate of arson attacks on tobacconists. Ashish…
- Keywords: ashish sharma, manali purohit, and bodega, north fitzroy, melbourne, arson, tobacco shops, small business, firebombing, news, politics, Cafe
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/14/when-a-tobacco-shop-opened-next-door-a-melbourne-couples-dream-cafe-went-up-in-smoke-ntwnfb
- Published: 2026-10-14T14:00:04+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ashish sharma, manali purohit, and bodega, north fitzroy, melbourne, arson, tobacco shops, small business, firebombing, news, politics
## Five months to build a dream
Ashish Sharma and Manali Purohit spent five months fitting out their vegan cafe And Bodega in Melbourne's North Fitzroy, sourcing secondhand furniture and doing much of the work themselves using their life savings.

> We put in basically all our life savings. We did a lot of it DIY.
## Cafe opens in July
And Bodega, named after New York convenience stores, opened in July. Within three months, on Monday October 12, a suspected arson attack gutted the neighbouring tobacco shop that had opened in recent weeks.
## Part of a wider wave
The firebombing is part of a spate of suspected arson attacks targeting tobacconists across Melbourne. Hundreds of tobacco shops have been hit since late 2023.
## The aftermath and robbery
The day after the firebombing, about five thousand dollars worth of technology and equipment was stolen from the burnt-out cafe. Sharma said it felt as if their dream had been ripped away.

> It felt like a warzone. The roof had melted off, soot everywhere.
## Community support emerges
The couple set up a crowdfunding campaign.Purohit, who grew up in Mumbai and trained as a pastry chef in India, says fellow small businesses have offered to donate profits, host fundraisers and drop off ice-cream.

> Words can't describe just how seen and loved we feel.
## Insurance falls short
The couple's contents insurance is expected to provide a payout of about twenty five thousand dollars. But the funds are not expected to cover the costs of rebuilding the cafe at the same location.
## Plans to reopen smaller
Sharma and Purohit hope to reopen And Bodega as a smaller hole-in-the-wall cafe serving baked goods and coffee.Sharma says if they can restart, it is at least one small way to fight against the violence.

> If we can restart, it's at least one small way to fight against the violence.
## Key takeaway

Ashish Sharma and Manali Purohit's vegan cafe And Bodega in North Fitzroy was severely damaged on October 12 when a neighbouring tobacco shop was firebombed, part of a wave of suspected arson attacks on tobacconists across Melbourne since late 2023.