Tin Can IGA taking care of business

Under new ownership, the Tin Can Bay IGA is back in a big way

BACK IN BUSINESS: Kylie Rayson and Justin O'Connell at Tin Can Bay IGA. Picture: Jacob Carson

TO CALL the recent history of the Tin Can Bay IGA 'tumultuous' would be an understatement.

After the store was the scene of a dramatic stand-off with police in February, the owners of the building stepped in to keep the place running.

But with the supermarket once again facing closure, the owners and operators of the Rainbow Beach IGA have given it a new lease on life.

"We thought there was still a viable business here in Tin Can Bay,” said co-owner Justin O'Connell.

"And if we hadn't chances are the store would have ended up closing again.”

Now their third day into operation, Justin and his parents (the other co-owners) are working to modernise and shape the store in an attempt to shape it into a more comprehensive stop for local shoppers.

The store at Tin Can Bay is particularly important for the area's elderly residents, with the nearest supermarket a 10-minute drive away, something not always feasible for them.

"I think the important thing for customers in the area to know is that we've got some great things on the way, but with anything it won't happen overnight,” Mr O'Connell said.

"It'll be a few weeks but we're working away at some big things.” These big things include ensuring the Tin Can Bay store is more to it's customers than just a place to pick up their bread and milk on the weekend.

"In the past, it's often been run as a convenience store,” Mr O'Connell said.

"But it's a supermarket, and we want to show people that.”

You can expect both new stock and camping and fishing gear in the future as well.

"My family came to Rainbow Beach 13 years ago and we've been running the store there since,” Mr O'Connell added.

"We want people to feel confident in our abilities to run the business - to show customers that we know what we're doing.”