MELBOURNE — Located in downtown Melbourne, Moon River Cafe and Curiosities is more than just a coffee shop. It’s a space where people can enjoy coffee and art and feel part of a community.
Kate Broderick and her mother, Mary Broderick, opened the restaurant in early March 2025. Kate has always loved art and cafe culture, inspired by childhood memories of visiting art museums with her mom and talking about the artwork over coffee.
“My mom instilled a love of cafe culture and arts from birth,” Kate said. “I think the happiest memories of my childhood are going to different art museums with my mom.”
Kate’s desire to open a cafe intensified following her serious illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. A lung transplant was recommended to her by doctors, yet she experienced a remarkable recovery after two years.
Kate promised herself that upon recovering from her illness, she would open her cafe. Her lifelong dream was one singular goal.
“It’s always been my lifelong dream,” she said. “If I get through this, I’m doing the cafe.”
Kate also received strong support from her community during her illness.
“If there is a beautiful part to suffering, it was really feeling embraced by the local community,” she said. “The people that really were there for me in a surprising way were people I didn’t really know that well just locally, so acquaintances who they knew of me before I was ill really went so far above and beyond.”
Kate and Mary wanted the cafe to be more than just a place to grab a drink. Visitors to the cafe experience a warm atmosphere while choosing from different coffee and hot chocolate options and enjoying light snacks. It also features art from local artists. The experience of writing books and creating art during her recovery taught Kate the value of integrating art into daily life.
“It’s not just about serving coffee,” Mary said. “We want people to experience art here. Kate has made much of the art on the walls, and we want to share that with the community.”
Mary Broderick sees her daughter Kate’s recovery as a miracle.
“We just want to embrace every day we have with Katie. Life can be tough, and we want the cafe to be a place of healing for everyone who walks through our doors,” she said.
Mary has noticed that many visitors who have had difficult days have found comfort in the cafe’s warm atmosphere.
“We want to have this as a healing place for everybody that comes in,” Mary said. “We’ve noticed some of the people had rough days, and they come and have their coffee or hot chocolate, and they’ve come over and said thank you. It’s brightened their day.”
The cafe has been well-received, with many visitors sharing how much it has brightened their day.
Cynthia Moro, a Florida Tech student from Los Angeles, first discovered the cafe while visiting a friend on his first day working there.
“It’s just so aesthetically appealing. Like the vibes are just so different from the rest of downtown. It’s calming. It’s a perfect place to study at,” Moro said. “It’s a classical antique vibe and they put so much detail into everything.”
Orlando Sanchez, a mechanical engineering student at Florida Tech, works at the cafe and enjoys the atmosphere. Originally from Wisconsin, Orlando has lived in Florida since he was two years old and now studies at Florida Tech.
“It’s an amazing atmosphere. It’s very family oriented. So, it’s got that family aspect. It’s not run like a business. It’s more of just a welcoming, homey atmosphere. It’s very nice,” Orlando shared.
Orlando and Kate have a strong connection from his time as her student at Florida Tech.
“Kate was my professor for two semesters for COM 1 and COM 2. We got very close,” he said. “She helped me through a lot of beginning ropes to college because that was my first year on a college campus, and everything [was] a lot different.”
Besides serving beverages, Moon River Cafe features live music performances, poetry nights, and afternoon tea sessions. The Moon River Cafe will organize writing events for area authors while Kate and Mary give workshops to help them publish their work.
Kate and Mary who own the cafe value its initial successes while remaining positive about new possibilities. Kate and Mary devoted significant effort to create a welcoming atmosphere which fosters creativity alongside personal connections and healing experiences.
“My goal and I think my mom is also a huge champion of the same goal,” Kate said. “We really want this to be a place where you can also learn and foster that sense of play and creativity, and that’s where I really would love to see this grow and be a true haven for arts and artists.”
Visitors can relax in the Moon River Cafe, which is open daily for everyone to enjoy. People can learn more about events by visiting the cafe’s website or emailing [email protected]. The Moon River Cafe is located at 728 E. New Haven Avenue downtown in Melbourne, Florida.