THE BLESSING OF A BUS
WORDS Joshua Brosnahan PHOTOS Sarah Rowlands
Aimee and Samuel Nimmo are the couple behind Walker Street’s Ally and Sid – a peachy island of cool housed in an old rubber moulding factory in an industrial part of the city. Well on its way to its second birthday, Ally and Sid (aptly coined so thanks to the couple’s nicknames for each other) has forged its place in the city thanks to a dedicated and passionate team, quality coffee, both barista and a range of filter brew methods, and of course, locally-sourced food.
The couple spent the formative years of their marriage living in a house bus, which helped guide them to where they are today.
Aimee describes the ‘very simplified version of a great story’.
“The story of us started when we were teens. Samuel was my little brother’s annoying friend! After many years of friendship, we ended up being best friends, which turned into dating.”
Now at 25 and 26, the pair have two and a half years of marriage under their belt – and with this came the welcome challenge of starting their own business together. They also manage to juggle this with jobs at a local church, pastoring young adults.
The bus they called home was gifted to the pair as an engagement gift, thanks to Aimee’s dad. “I remember dad quite literally pulled it out of a paddock when I was younger. It was just a shell that had sustained some fire damage, and both my mum and dad spent a year crafting it into what it is today.”
The interior of the bus is fully built with Rimu and holds a lot of character inside. Aimee fondly recalls summers spent camping in it, around the South Island with her family.
Aimee mentions that the intention was to buy their first home with savings from living in the bus, but “when the opportunity came to start a café, Samuel couldn’t say no. He does that a bit! I took a bit longer to get my head around it, but now I just couldn’t look back.”
Even though the couple have recently graduated to living in a traditional house, the bus is still with them. A decision to help a friend with affordable accommodation whilst finishing their studies has meant the bus lives on at a new location – the couple’s first home. Samuel acknowledges the couple were ‘hugely blessed’ in acquiring the bus, which propelled them towards the goal of giving others a similar head-start. And down the track, the couple envisages taking it on the road for holidays when they have their own children.
Aimee quips that she has made a deal with Samuel – the new house means they can now plan for children.
“So, I guess you could say he’s motivated!”
Samuel describes the Ally and Sid crew as “the greatest team we could work with”.
“We are confident we’ll keep growing and firing out the coffees. We want to thank everyone for their continued support! It’s exciting thinking of what lies ahead. We want to be successful in our dreams and our connections with people and live a life of generosity. Our aim is to take opportunities as they come and not take life too seriously.”