The chatty cafe vibe returned to at least part of Darby Street on the first morning of eased coronavirus restrictions on Friday.
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The Autumn Rooms and Three Monkeys next door each took advantage of new government rules allowing 10 sit-down customers, and many of the street's boutiques have also reopened.
Autumn Rooms owner Ben Richardson set up a handful of tables and chairs so customers could drink and eat, from takeaway containers, while sitting inside the cafe.
The sounds of cheerful cross-table conversation, bustling wait staff and a busy kitchen were a reminder of how the street used to be before the pandemic shut down business in March.
Mr Richardson was full of praise for his staff and "overwhelming" community support while the business was restricted to selling takeaway brunch boxes and coffee.
"The last time I spoke to you I was probably crying out the front," Mr Richardson said after two months of an emotional roller-coaster which shows few signs of stopping.
"For me, the stress of it all has been well and truly outweighed by the community and our amazing staff.
"I have to get up and go to work because there's a sense we're all in it together."
The cafe business, which includes The Tea Collective upstairs, normally seats 130 people.
Mr Richardson said he was unsure "even before Covid" whether the cafe would survive because "business is hard anyway", but the government's strategy had been "amazing under pressure".
"There's a lot of unknowns still, I guess, for small businesses on how banks are going to deal with the money, what are landlords going to do.
"Am I out of the woods? Who knows?"
He said JobKeeper money had started flowing to businesses, allowing them to "keep rolling".
But Darby Street breakfast institution Goldberg's remains shuttered.
Its interior is a clutter of stacked chairs and equipment, a sober reminder that the pandemic has wrought havoc on the hospitality industry.
Next door, Laneway cafe closed even before the virus restrictions began.
But down the road at Willow's Home Traders, owner Lauren McLellan is dipping her toe back in the water after relying for weeks on online trade.
Ms McLellan, whose wedding next weekend has been postponed, said she had a bumper two days last weekend before Mothers Day and is opening tentatively on Fridays and Saturdays to gauge shopper interest.
"We'll be OK. We're not going anywhere. Business is definitely down, but we've fought our way through," she said.
"Hopefully we'll be back to normal hours in another week."
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
