The owner of Marickville Cafe struggles to keep the business alive as fierce controversy breaks out with the landlord

The owner of a beloved cafe claims that the landlord threatens to evict them and is working to keep the business alive despite never violating their lease.

Sydneysiders Jacques Dumont and Sina Klug opened their dream vegetarian cafe in September 2022 – Miss Sina.

Located on the corner of Illawarra and Sydenham Road in Marrickville, this cafe quickly became a popular western hotspot for locals and the wider community.

But the owners are now seeking support from the community after the landlord allegedly threatened to evict them and close their cafe, despite the two and a half years left in the lease for about two years.

In a desperate request for support, Xena and Jacques shared an Instagram post outlining the landlord’s alleged “false” claim that the two were breaching their lease agreement.

They wrote: “Our little bakery, Miss Xena, is more than just pastries and bread.”

“It’s about community, kindness, and creating something beautiful and sustainable in the heart of Sydney.

“But today, we are facing a struggle to stay in the house we create. Despite everything, we are threatened by eviction.”

Miss Xena opened in Marrickville, Sydney’s inner-west suburb, in September 2022 and became an instant hotspot for its vegan pastries and breads

The two insisted that they were not on the rent and that the landlord had been trying to evict them allegedly “false” allegations.

One of the alleged claims made by the landlord is that the small bakery is a “nuisance” to the neighborhood.

“Our landlords keep making false claims… Despite the support of happy clients and local communities, our presence is a “nuisance” to the community,” they wrote.

“We know our neighbors and see them coffee every day. We strive to support the communities around us. ”

They claimed that the landlord also claimed the two had violated their lease and accused them of “allowing” someone to graffiti the facades of the building.

Sina and Jacques believe CCTV footage showed the man graffitiing on the building at 3 a.m. and the culprit was caught and charged shortly afterwards.

They even provided a police report to the landlord detailing the incident, claimingHe is not even our responsibility outside the wall – they are the landlord’.

They said their lease agreement is valid for two and a half years and could choose whether they want to renew for three years.

Boss Sina (pictured) and Jacques claim that the landlord claims the bakery is a “nuisance” to the neighborhood

The couple are active members of the community who desperately call for support to help them pay legal fees (pictured, Sina and Jacques)

Adding a moving from cafe owners is not an option because they claim they will still be liable for two and a half years of rent if they accept evictions and change the home.

The fight to keep the cafe has done “tremendous harm” to their mental health as they have been worried about losing their livelihoods, the pair said.

Sina and Jacques said they were defending “slowly bankrupt” and proved that the landlord’s claims were allegedly wrong.

“We are on the stand, but the legal costs are huge,” they said.

“We have a great legal team behind us, but we were told that this battle could cost us as much as $100,000.”

Friends and neighbors of some owners, including lawyers, have now been established GoFundMe Help pay critical legal fees.

“Miss Xena is part of Marickville’s structure. Gofundme read that the boss and Sina and Jacques appeared repeatedly in the community.

“They praise for themselves in many ways – fundraisers, dog rescue, community classes, book nights, sensory friendly events, donating food to the unfortunate people and more.

‘[They] Save their beloved store throughout their lives. Unfortunately, this requires the help of a lawyer…it’s expensive.

“Help us raise money and get these beautiful people to fight back and keep doing what they love.”

Sina and Jacques say they “slowly went bankrupt” to defend and prove the claim wrong

Sina and Jacques added that they will share the cost segment of any donation and are committed to making the community “full transparency”.

They wrote: “If you ever lined up for a bread, shared a croissant with a friend on our corner, or simply believed in the value of a local, ethical small business – please consider helping us fight.”

‘This is our home, we can’t move. This will be the end of our business and our dreams.

At the time of writing, GoFundMe has received 336 donations totaling $18,052 with the aim of raising $50,000.