Friday, 29 March 2024
65 Macleod Street, Bairnsdale, VIC 3875 - P: (03) 5150 2300

Local News

Going gangbusters

Going gangbusters

Bairnsdale businesses are rejoicing at the surge in takings the town has been raking in over the holiday period.
The Northern Ground Café’ said the past two to three months had been sensational.
“It’s been very, very, very, very busy,” Rob Turner, owner and chef at Northern Ground told the Advertiser as he prepared brunch for a customer.
“Since they opened the border to
Melbourne allowing people to visit regional Victoria, we’ve been swamped,” Mr Turner said.
“It’s been busier than it’s ever been in the three years I’ve owned the place.”
Mr Turner said he was thrilled about the increased patronage following a year of disruption with the coronavirus.
“We’ve had a lot of tourists and I’m absolutely happy about it,” he said.
At Riviera Cycles, owner Gary
Jackson has been riding the highs of an increase in bike sales and service.
“The bicycle industry is booming at the moment, we’ve been very fortunate to have been so busy,” Mr Jackson said.
He said the main concern is COVID related stock supply.
“We’re getting only 10 per cent of what’s needed,” he said.
“No bikes are made in Australia, so we’re reliant on them coming in from China.” As a result of delays in supply, Mr
Jackson said many people had elected to refurbish their old bikes and his business had been kept busy servicing bikes that hadn’t been ridden, in some cases, for 10 years.
Nicholson River Soaps, which moved from the arcade onto the Main Street in mid-December, is also doing a roaring trade.
Owner, Bianca Ward, said it was difficult to ascertain whether the move onto the highway has resulted in additional trade or if people were just spending more.
“We’ve more than doubled our takings on last year,” she said.
Sandbar Surf in Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance said it too had been flat out with the Lakes store “going crazy” since holidaymakers descended on the town.
“It’s been fairly consistent and we’re getting new stock in now which is good,” Liv Galati said. The Potted Pear and Seven Sundays were pleased with patronage over the Christmas/New
Year period. “We had some of the best trading we’ve ever had leading up to Christmas, it was just extraordinary,” Andrew Mitchell, of the Potted Pear, said.
“I think people were conscious about spending money locally and spend they did.”
Mark Riches, from Pacific Furniture, said trade had “picked up when it needed to and has kept flowing along nicely”.
President of the Bairnsdale Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jaime Savory, said the majority of business owners in the service and retail industry were extremely happy with how busy the town has been and the support coming from the local community.
“Some owners in Main and McLeod Streets are telling me that this is their busiest Christmas on record,” she said.

 

IMAGE:
Owner and chef at Northern Ground Café in Bairnsdale, Rob Turner, serves up Portarlington mussels with Lucke’s smoked bacon and Sailors Grave beer to another satisfied customer yesterday. K3-8905


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Bairnsdale Advertiser

65 Macleod Street
PO Box 465
Bairnsdale, VIC 3875

P: (03) 5150 2300
F: (03) 5152 6257

Publication Day: Wednesday
Circulation: 6,450

Yeates Media

Cnr Macleod & Bailey Streets
PO Box 465
Bairnsdale, VIC 3875

P: (03) 5150 2300
F: (03) 5152 6257