The Victorian town of Guildford is fighting to re-open its general store after the historic business, that locals describe as the “heart and soul” of their town, closed in March.
‘Save our Store’ campaign founder Liz Monty said the store’s closure was “a huge social loss for everyone in Guildford”.
“When I first moved here, the general store was where I met everyone,” Monty said.
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Guilford lies in the Goldfields region of Central Victoria and has a population of around 330.
The general store first began trading in 1861, until a fire in 1916 saw the business move to its current site.
The property is now owned by a consortium which runs petrol stations, and the corner block is for sale at $825,000.
Monty is hoping that locals can raise enough money to purchase the property and restart the business as a community-owned co-op.
“We’re trying to raise $1 million and that’s a lot for a very small community,” Monty said.
“We are selling shares, with the minimum buy-in of $5000. We’re hoping 200 people will take up the offer,” Monty explained.
Community groups around Guildford are supporting the proposal, including the ‘Guildford Grumpies’.
Guildford Grumpies founder Greg Edward described the group as a “gathering place for the local blokes”.
“We’ve got a lot of widowers in town so it gives them a place to go,” he said.
“We’re definitely grumpy about the general store being closed. I have put in for a share.”
Relatives of local Bob Forde ran the general store for decades and he’s also put himself down for a share in the co-op proposal.
“We need to save this general store because it is such an integral part of the social network of Guildford. It’s the heart and soul!” Forde said.
Monty currently has 115 expressions of interest and is appealing far and wide.
“Please consider supporting our community. We’d love to have you involved,” Monty added.