@Normal:Natalie Elliott from The Purple Iris, Amy Zhou from Wendore Milkbar, Geoff Blackburn from Charcoal Chicken, Mary Wilson and Caroline Giulano from Bees Knees say their side of town is too quiet. 78546
By Danielle Galvin
TRADERS in Rossiter Road, Kooweerup, are calling on the community to spend a dollar a day in their end of town to support local businesses struggling to stay afloat.
They say that Station Street has become the town’s commercial centre after the Woolworths shopping prec-inct opened in October last year.
In the past two weeks 100 Monkeys Whole Foods and Organics closed down because of poor sales.
Caroline Giuliano runs The Bees Knees gift shop in the quiet strip of shops and said business has been slow since July last year.
She believes that council restrictions on what could be placed out the front of the shops hadn’t helped.
“The centre of the town is not on Rossiter Road,” she said.
“Since we stopped putting stuff out the front, people don’t know if we are open or not.”
Leslie from Get Stitched Up said Kooweerup was a beautiful little town but Rossiter Road traders were struggling.
“You could throw a stone out there,” she said.
“We need people. It is so, so quiet.”
Geoff Blackburn from the chicken shop on Rossiter Road said his business had been noticeably quiet.
“We just want people to support the local community,” he said.
“Since Safeway opened, it went bang and ever since it’s been really quiet.”
The Purple Iris has been open for just seven months.
Owner Natalie Elliott said: “We need our local people to support our local shop.
“It’s a good little town, plenty of variety. I make all of my own jams, I try and use locally grown fruit. It’s all Australian made.”
Kooweerup Township Committee secretary Geoff Stokes said the group had been in touch with traders in the area.
“This came up as something we have to look into,” he said.
“We have to look at how we can help, how we can move the shire to do something.”
Mr Stokes said it was a sad situation and the committee intended to help in any way it could.
“This is something that is fully on our agenda.”
Some of the traders said there was not enough going on in town and employment was limited.
Vicki Pretty from Briemar, a manufacturing and packaging company in McNamara Road, said she was surprised at the response when two jobs were advertised last year.
“We had over 120 phone calls for two casual positions about six months ago,” she said.
“That was from people who lived in Berwick, Kooweerup and Lang Lang.”
Cardinia Shire Council spokesman Paul Dunlop said the council had been in contact with one of the Rossiter Road traders.
“Council can help and support business operators in a number of ways,” he said.
“This includes training and advisory support services in building-up business activity, and responding to areas where businesses may experience more moderate trade conditions.”
Mr Dunlop said the council held regular workshops and seminars to strengthen customer service levels, develop marketing strategies, diversify business products and extend into new promotional channels.
“Businesses can register their details on council’s free online business register to promote their goods and services,” he said.
“We can also provide assistance with temporary permits for A-frame signage to help with the promotion of services.”
