When Lyons café Stand By Me was robbed earlier this year, the groundswell of local support amazed its owner, Joy Thakkar.

“We have some wonderful regular customers. And when we had the robbery, one of them posted about it on the Lyons community page, asking people to support our business and help us bounce back,” Joy said.

The same kind of support was evident during lockdown. “We were doing lots of takeaways. People understood we are all doing it tough, so I think they were buying extra – things that maybe they didn’t really need to buy – just to help us out,” he added.

“Our regulars are the main reason we have survived.”

Like most small business owners, Joy and his wife, Reena, are constantly on the go. Joy works seven days a week – six in the café and one catching up on “behind the scenes stuff”, while Reena works on the floor, in the kitchen – wherever she’s needed most.

With young children, it’s not always easy. But the Thakkars enjoy what they do and love being there for the people of Lyons.

"Just as we get support from the community, we do the same. We source products from a Canberra meat supplier; we use Three Mills bread. We try our best. And we buy from Lyons Friendly Grocer here in the centre where we can, too,” Joy said.

Leeanne Goodwin’s curly hair salon, Curly Cuts and Natural Eclipse, is located next door. She also sells curly products and refills through her online store Natural Eclipse, which ships to anywhere in Australia and New Zealand.

“Curly Cuts is proudly a Canberra innovation. From local support, we have created an original and different curly shopping experience right here in the heart of the Lyons shops. We now have four staff employed,” Leeanne said.

Although, the path hasn’t always been smooth. Last year’s lockdown began just a couple of months after Leeanne opened the salon.

“We faced massive product shortages and postal issues at Natural Eclipse in the first year of COVID. Quarantine, with sick staff and customers, wreaked havoc on bookings,” she said.

But the support from curly-haired Canberrans has been heartening.

“Our customers come from all locations of Canberra, interstate and rural areas for our specialised services and products,” Leeanne said.

“Local businesses are still recovering from COVID. By supporting us, you help us bounce back from years of turbulence. Buy from local businesses that create and sustain jobs. Let's keep our shopping centres full of unique, creative shops.”

Joy agreed. “Being in a small community suburb, this kind of local support is so important for us to keep going. It means a lot to us.”

_{Joy Thakkar and his family really enjoy Canberra’s local feel, after moving here from Sydney.}

_{The haircare product refill station located within Curly Cuts salon helps Canberrans cut down on single-use plastic.}

_{Stand By Me regulars return again and again for Joy Thakkar’s latte art.}

_{Like most of Canberra’s suburban shopping areas, Lyons Shopping Village has more than meets the eye.}

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