A hobby retailer that helps gaming clubs fund shared equipment, an art studio built around creative connection and a café that hosts local events were among six The Gap businesses recognised at the 2026 Cooper Small Business Awards.
Ms Jonty Bush presented the awards at Warehouse 25 in Milton on Thursday, 21 May 2026. About 100 small business owners attended the event.
The Gap collected category wins across retail, professional services, wellbeing and fitness, trade and services, creative arts, and cafés and restaurants. Another seven businesses and organisations from the suburb received runner-up placings.
Gap Games Builds A Home For Tabletop Hobbies
Gap Games won the Retail and Sales category after developing a business that extends beyond its shelves and online catalogue.
The retailer operates from Shop 21 at The Gap Village Shopping Centre, inside NewsXpress opposite Coles. Its range covers miniature gaming products, tabletop and role-playing games, trading cards, hobby kits, model figures, paints and accessories.
Much of the stock is available through click and collect, while an events and organised-play space near the shop gives players somewhere to meet and take part in organised gaming.
The business also runs a Club Kickback Program for eligible tabletop and hobby groups across Australia. Each approved club receives a code that members can use when making purchases, allowing support to accumulate for reinvestment in the group.
Participating clubs may direct that support towards event prizes, gaming terrain and tables, venue hire, shared hobby supplies or assistance for new players.
Carmen Briggs Recognised For Professional Services
Carmen Briggs Harcourts Property Centre won the Professional Services category.
Briggs works as a sales agent through Carmen Briggs Properties Pty Ltd and Harcourts Property Centre Inner West. Her work has focused on The Gap and surrounding parts of Brisbane’s inner west for more than a decade.
Alongside residential property sales, she owns and manages an investment property portfolio and is a registered Justice of the Peace.
Her Harcourts profile also records her involvement in charity and community activities, adding a local dimension to a career built around property services in The Gap and nearby suburbs.
Studio Pilates The Gap Takes Fitness Award
Studio Pilates The Gap was named the winner of the Wellbeing and Fitness category.
The studio provides 40-minute reformer Pilates classes for clients with different levels of experience and fitness.
Its exercise sequences are designed by physiotherapists and displayed through studio screens with visual demonstrations and audio instructions. An instructor remains present during each session to assist with technique, adjust resistance and modify exercises where required.
Classes are scheduled from early morning through to evening, allowing the studio to cater for clients attending before work, during the day or after regular business hours.
The local studio forms part of a business founded in Brisbane in 2002 by Jade and Tanya Winter, although its award recognised the operation serving clients in The Gap.
Bernard Building Draws On Local Construction Work
Bernard Building received the Trade and Services award.
Ben Bernard established the business in 2019 after building experience across construction, deck and staircase projects, and renovations.
The company undertakes home renovations, deck construction, external stair work, carpentry maintenance and repairs. Its main service areas include The Gap, Ashgrove, Bardon and Kedron.
Bernard Building describes relationship-building, honesty, hard work, quality and attention to detail as the principles guiding its projects.
Its work places the business directly within the residential communities it services, where projects may range from maintenance between larger renovations to new decks, stairs and broader home improvements.
U Create Art Connects Generations Through Creativity
U Create Art won the Creative Arts category.
Founder Karen Bessell operates the studio from the basement of The Gap Baptist Church at 1125 Waterworks Road.
The studio offers visual art programs, creative workshops, craft classes, parties and arts education for preschool-aged children, teenagers and adults, including participants aged over 50.
Its activities are designed to give beginners and more experienced participants opportunities to explore different materials and forms of creative expression.
Community work has included workshops, mural painting, local events and school P&C fundraising. Bessell also previously founded The Gap She Shed, a social group that brought together local women through creativity and shared activities.
The studio is due to host five local artists during The Gap Creative Open Studios on Friday, 28 August and Saturday, 29 August 2026. The program is expected to include original artworks, artist displays, children’s craft and a community self-portrait installation.
Birdie Coffee Blends Café Service With Local Events
Birdie Coffee received the Café and Restaurant award.
The café is owned by Bruce, with Natasha Ariza involved in its operations, community activities and award communications.
Beyond its regular coffee and food service, Birdie has held yoga classes, dog days, art markets, live music and community breakfasts.
It also hosted a free coffee event focused on men’s health, giving visitors an opportunity to meet over coffee and discuss mental wellbeing. A sausage sizzle formed part of the morning.
Birdie Coffee has also supported The Gap Creative’s Local Matters Art Exhibition, encouraging customers to visit the local event and view work by artists from the area.
Its activities have placed the café within a wider program of social, health and creative events rather than limiting its role to day-to-day hospitality.
Seven The Gap Entrants Finish As Runners-Up
The Gap businesses and organisations also secured seven runner-up placings across the awards.
Friendly Grocer was runner-up in the Retail and Sales category, while Craig Ray & Associates received a runner-up placing in Professional Services.
The Western Echo was recognised in Social Enterprise, and Blind Tiger finished as runner-up in Bars and Breweries.
Francesca Flowers was runner-up in Creative Arts.
The suburb had three businesses represented in the Café and Restaurant results. Birdie Coffee won the category, while Vecino Café and Café Tara were both named runners-up.
Published 15-July-2026
