Gympie businesses affected by change | Full list
The Gympie region has seen exponential growth in the last few months, with many changes on the business landscape, including closures, relocations, changes of ownership and new enterprises. SEE THE FULL LIST HERE:
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The Gympie business landscape is forever changing. Businesses are being sold, opened, closed and relocated all the time.
In the past few months, as many businesses struggle to hold on through the worsening challenges of the Covid pandemic, there have been some significant changes:
Vespa closes unexpectedly
Mary St cafe Vespa Espresso Bar unexpectedly closed its doors on Friday, January 21, less than two years after it was rebranded from Emilias Cafe.
Owner Joni Giorno shared the news to the cafe’s Facebook page on the Friday afternoon.
“With a heavy heart, we have permanently closed Vespa,” she wrote.
“It’s been an eventful journey with so many laughs and many tears over the years, but we always had the three of us.”
According to the post, the team of Jodi, Maria and Kelli will pursue early retirement.
This year would have been Emilia’s 20th anniversary.
Little H opens on Southside
Hot on the heels of their successful Brisbane pub, former Gympie couple Peta and Rina Yenn opened a new cafe, Little H, on the Southside at the start of January, 2022.
The couple previously owned the Tottenham Pub, which held the title of Best Cafe in Brisbane for more than a year.
After six years, the couple sold the Tottenham and returned to their roots in Gympie, where they hoped to send their daughter to St Patrick’s.
“I grew up here and did all my schooling at St Pat’s. My family has lived here for the last 40 years,” he said.
Mrs Yenn will be running the coffee and Mr Yenn will be handling the registers and kitchen.
Patrick’s Casket and Newsagency closes after 54 years
Mary St newsagency Patrick’s Casket and Newsagency closed its doors in December 2021, after more than half a century in business.
Owner Peter Patrick, 87, said he was getting too old to run the business, which had been in business for the past 54 years.
Mr Patrick said it was “the end of an era”.
“I’ve loved being in Mary St … it was just a pleasure to be there,” he said.
Kingston House bought by new owner
Former Kingston House Impressions owner Kim Jones, who ran the popular restaurant for more than 26 years, officially handed the business over to Julie Christoffel in early January, 2022.
Operating out of an old Queenslander built in 1901, the building has served Gympie as a doctor’s surgery, maternity hospital and private residence; but in recent memory, housed the popular eatery famous for its cob loaf and other comforting offerings.
Ms Christoffel told the Gympie Times Ms Jones was ready for a break and to do some travelling and decided to lease out the restaurant to her.
Ms Christoffel also co-runs the restaurant for the Queenslander Hotel on Mary Street.
Kandanga Kitchen owners open new Cafe in Tozer St
The former owners of the popular Kandanga Kitchen opened a new business venture in October 2021, in Tozer St, after their successful Mary Valley cafe’s run was cut short by Covid.
Trent Kirkwood and Bec Edmonds opened the doors of their new cafe The Two of Us more than a year after they had to shut the doors on what was a thriving tourism spot.
“No-one knew what was going to happen … it was pretty heartbreaking,” she said.
“We didn’t have any plans to leave,” Mr Kirkwood said.
In the year since the Kitchen’s closure the couple bought a house in Gympie, another factor in their choice to open the doors in the city.
New Tobacco shop
Tobacco station and gift shop TSG (Tobacco Station Group) officially opened across from Woolworths in Gympie Central Shopping Centre in August, 2021.
According to general manager Furendre (surname withheld), prior to the shop opening it was another tobacco station, but he could not recall the name. Before that Tramcars ran their outlet on the site.
The shop sells everything from gifts for all occasions to tobacco accessories.
On Location changes hands
Dedicated former On Location customer Desley Shailer took over the iconic boutique in Gympie’s CBD from previous long-term owner Judy Dakin.
Mrs Shailer used to frequent On Location Boutique when it was run by Mrs Dakin, but took the shop over on December 1, 2021.
Mrs Shailer said Mrs Dakin, who had owned the shop for the last 25 years, had told her about her plans to sell, and her motive behind purchasing the shop was her love for clothes and the clientele Mrs Dakin had worked hard to generate.
“I won’t be changing what Judy has built up in style, as in the styles and labels she carries, but we’ll be sort of bringing a few additional labels in,” she said.
Prior to taking over the boutique, Mrs Shailer owned and operated clothing warehouses in north Queensland, which catered for everyone from babies to adults.
Retail space near Bunnings
The long awaited second stage of Gympie’s Bunnings development is about to get under way but mystery surrounds which business will call it home.
Developers have almost completed construction of a new building across the carpark from the popular hardware shop, which is expected to become home to multiple businesses.
The building was approved by Gympie Regional Council in 2012 as part of the wider Bunnings development as stage two of the project.
Under those plans the building will have room for three tenants; the northwestern portion containing a showroom and shop.
My House opens
Homeware store My House officially opened its doors in Gympie Central Shopping Centre just before Christmas, and in that time has been met with nothing but positivity.
The store site was previously occupied by skate shop Flip Side Skate and Ride.
The skate shop relocated closer to The Coffee Club before My House opened.
Manager Letitia (surname withheld) said the store had received “really good feedback” since it opened.
“Ninety nine per cent of the customers we get are amazing,” she said.
Playback Arcade relocates, plans to expand
Gympie gaming arcade Playback Arcade first opened for business in September 2019, a mere three months before the Covid pandemic took over the world.
But, despite the odds, owner Aisha Belling told The Gympie Times the shop was relocating to a “less flood prone area” and planned to expand in the near future.
The shop, located at 154 Mary St, will be relocated to 107 Mary St - next to Unearthed Streetwear.
Mrs Belling said it was “always in the business plan” to move Playback, and they had plans of expanding in the near future.
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