A fresh wave of coffee culture has swept up on the shores of Lake Macquarie in Belmont, with the arrival of Good One. Housed within the former Common Circus space, Good One is the brainchild of the Gleeson family from Glee Coffee Roasters – comprising Beth, Chris, Ben, and Jemima.

The group brings with them a rich background in coffee, with roots tracing back to the launch of Glee Coffee Roasters in 2009.

“We caught the coffee bug as Chris was working in machinery imports and Ben was working for Toby’s Estate. We started Glee officially in 2009 but were roasting for a little while before that,” Beth said.

The Glee journey began with the team supplying coffee to local cafes across the Central Coast before they ventured into operating their own cafe spaces. Over the years, they’ve had a space on Darby Street that opened in 2011, one in Mayfield in 2018, and two spots on the Central Coast (Wyong and Erina).

The transition to Good One was a natural evolution, spurred by a long-standing relationship with Lauren of Common Circus.

“We’ve had the joy of supplying Lauren since she opened Common Circus in 2014 and we loved her vision for homewares and coffee. Lauren has always had such a creative gift and what she has brought to the Lake Macquarie and Newcastle region has been so special.

“Lauren came to us at the end of 2023 to let us know she would be focusing her attention on the Hamilton space moving forward, she asked if we wanted to take on Belmont.”

The handover from Common Circus to Good One, was a swift one, with February 13th marking the official transformation.

Common Circus one day – Good One the next.

The name, Good One, was inspired by a cafe experience Beth and Chris visited in New Zealand 10 years ago.

“It just had the best vibe. Total coffee geekery, locals showing up for their daily brew, no-nonsense. Just good coffee and good food – it really was a good one! For the people of Belmont and Lake Macquarie, we’d just love to be part of making their day a good one!”

The experience, whilst different to what you remember from Common Circus, you can expect the quality of the coffee to remain the same. That, alongside simplified food and plenty of coffee gear, and basic groceries.

“You can also grab your coffee brewing gear, coffee beans for home, and basic grocery items. We also love stocking from our friends’ businesses including Honest Juice, Daymaker Stationery, Miyoko, James and Rose, 2 Pops Honey, and many more.”  

With coffee at the core, the next step for Good One is for the team to introduce barista training and coffee workshops. Whilst the block is zoned for development and the inevitable change will always be on their doorstop Good One has nothing but good intentions for bringing their coffee-loving vibes to Belmont and Lake Macquarie locals.

“We’d love to thank Lauren and Scott Henry and their two girls for bringing the goodness of Common Circus to Newcastle. We’re grateful for their vision of community, lifestyle, and coffee, and we’re stoked to be part of the next chapter of the story.”

Go on, have yourself a Good One, and head on over the Belmont’s new favourite coffee haunt.