Brian Shea’s independently owned business, Gowrie Friendly Grocer, is open every day of the year.
14 December 2022
Gowrie Hair and Beauty co-owners Naomi McMahon and Louise Dunn make a point of understanding their local community’s wants and needs.
The pair opened the salon in 2010 and have since employed two apprentices, including Naomi’s daughter Emelia.
Just as they offer hairdressing services for the whole family, they appreciate the loyal customers who in turn support their families.
It’s only with this ongoing local support that businesses like theirs can continue operating, particularly following the challenges of recent years.
“Supporting local helps keep the local community and shops going. If we don’t support them, then they go,” Naomi said.
Thankfully, there are no empty shopfronts at Gowrie. At Common Grounds café, staff know their regulars by name, and have responded to demand by opening for dinners Thursday to Sunday – dine-in and takeaway – as well as for breakfast and lunch.
Naomi and Louise are hopeful they can put the worst of the pandemic behind them. “With restrictions in place, we’ve not always been able to operate or operate at full capacity,” they said.
“So, this Christmas, shop local and support local where you can. We’ve done it tough over the last few years.”
At Gowrie Friendly Grocer, a couple of doors down, owner Brian Shea said the pandemic offered an unexpected but brief boost.
“People weren’t going to the big centres as much. They were shopping local, they were working from home, and we had a substantial increase in business. But that’s all dropped since all the restrictions have been relaxed,” Brian said.
According to Brian, suburban shops like Gowrie’s make it easy to tick multiple things off the to-do list while supporting local business. “Shopping local means looking after those who give back to the community,” he said.
“I frequently visit the hairdresser next door – I even went this morning. I let the apprentice, Emelia, practise on me. I go to the café here in the complex daily, buy all my vitamins from the chemist next door.”
Brian’s independently owned supermarket is open every day of the year, and as Christmas approaches, he wants to remind people of this.
“For anything you’ve forgotten or missed, maybe in the days before Christmas or the night before or even on the day, remember Gowrie Friendly Grocer is open 365 days a year – including Christmas Day. It is a shorter day – we’re open 9–5 because I do like to be sitting down for Christmas dinner myself by 6pm, if I can. If it was just about the money, I wouldn’t open Christmas Day but it’s about that reliability, consistency, and being there for the community.”
Colleagues Louise Dunn, Emilia McMahon and Naomi McMahon of Gowrie Hair and Beauty appreciate the customers who support their business. A fourth staff member, Olivia, is completing her apprenticeship.
Hiren Patel at Common Grounds Gowrie knows his regulars’ names and coffee orders by heart.
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