Your chance to buy a country business as Willunga General Store hits the market

Ever dreamt of escaping to the country? Now’s your chance – and you can make an income on the side too with this adorable, 1940s general store on the market.

If you’ve ever wanted to run your own country general store, now could be your chance.

The Willunga General Store – which opened in the 1940s – is up for sale after what owner Sarah Edwards called a “crazy, hectic year”.

The Edwards family purchased the High St store in February last year, just six weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in South Australia.

Mrs Edwards – who ran the store with her daughters and nephew – said despite supply challenges and lockdown, the community rallied around the store and each other.

“It was huge, initially we weren’t sure if we’d be able to stay open and actually get supplies because … (our) supermarket supplier stopped supplying the little guys and were sending their products to the big supermarkets,” she said.

The Willunga General Store. Picture: Sarah Edwards

“We just got as many local suppliers as we could to keep the store open and we managed to keep going.

“People realised you can’t take little stores and businesses like ours for granted and they can really make a difference.

“The community really looked after each other from a business point of view but also just as a community.”

Mrs Edwards said it was the community spirit and the connection with locals that she would miss the most after selling the store.

But with more grandchildren on the way and two daughters at university, the family knew it was time to pass the shop on.

“It’s sad and I’ll miss it but we’re not doing the store justice by not being able to be in there all the time,” Mrs Edwards said.

Willunga General Store owner Sarah Edwards (right) and her daughter Holly in the High Street store. Picture: Sarah Edwards

“We feel really proud that in a year and a pretty crazy, hectic year we’ve been able to turn it around and show people what it can be.”

Since posting on Facebook about her plans to sell the store just last week, Mrs Edwards has received seven inquiries.

She said she hopes to see the shop continue to focus on local Fleurieu producers and serving the community.

“Everybody has said now that they’ve seen how good it can be they want to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” she said.

“If I could dial up the perfect model for the store I’d love to see a farm gate shop for local producers so that people can have access to all of those local products all the time.”

For more information about the store’s sale, email Sarah at [e-mail].

Willunga General Store owner Rachel Edwards and her family Holly, Alice, Rachel, Leo, Thia and Roman in the shop. Picture: Sarah Edwards