Beloved Cooloola Cove store’s “devastating” closure
“It’s really bad for the community, there’s nothing else like this in our area.”
Gympie
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POPULAR Cooloola Cove discount store Gone Bonkers have made the “devastating” decision to close their doors at the end of June.
Owner Pim Mulder said he would love to keep the store open but was not able to come to a mutual agreement on the store’s rent.
“We negotiated for a while and it came to a head last Thursday,” he said.
“We decided not to relocate but to close.
“It’s sad for everyone, it’s sad for us as staff.”
Mr Mulder and his wife Belinda, who is a nurse at a Sunshine Coast hospital, moved to the area almost 20 years ago to be near her parents.
They then opened a Gone Bonkers in Tin Can Bay which they ran for seven years, before relocating the store to Cooloola Cove.
They have been in their current location for 11 years, and said closing the doors this month had been a hard decision
“It’s really bad for the community,” he said.
“There’s nothing else like this in our area.”
Mr Mulder said he was heavily involved in the day to day of the business, along with the three staff, who were “like family to him”.
“We’ll try to do our best by them,” he said.
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The store made an announcement on Facebook last week that they would be closing at the end of the month, and Mr Mulder said the post was met with support and sadness from the community.
Loyal customers said on the post that Gone Bonkers was an “integral part of the community” and it was “devastating” to see them go.
“We announced it on Thursday night and on Friday we had our biggest day ever, there were people lined up all around,” he said.
“It took us by surprise.”
Mr Mulder said he doesn’t know what is in store for his future.
“When one door closes another one will open,” he said.
“I’m sure something will come up for me. I might even consider retirement.”
He said all stock at the store must be cleared and everything was 40 per cent off until the last day of trading.
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