When Thirroul Collective reopened its doors on October 11 it was a relief for many reasons.
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The collective stayed open through the lockdown for click & collect and offered a personal shopping service and free delivery. But Sheralee Rae said it meant everyone worked twice as hard, which is why it was so good to have double vaccinated customers back.
Ms Rae said people still needed to check in to every store with a QR code and prove they were double vaccinated but all the regulars were happy to do that.
"We absolutely love our local community. They have supported us all through lockdown," she said.
Ms Rae said people not yet double vaccinated were still supporting the businesses at the collective by using click & collect.
"We have more than 30 small businesses in our collective and a lot of our products are locally made, and the business people live locally," she said.
"So the ongoing support is helping those families put food on the table. And the money they make stays in our community because they shop at other stores, cafes and restaurants."
Ms Rae said as soon as the collective reopened everyone was busy.
"There is already real confidence in retail shopping," she said.
That was welcome news to Business Illawarra executive director Adam Zarth who said a survey conducted in September revealed business confidence fell sharply during the 106-day lockdown. Some 85 per cent of businesses viewed the economy as getting weaker and 73 per cent were expecting profits to be down. But 66 per cent said their staff numbers would remain the same.
"The range of additional support measures introduced by governments, along with the reopening roadmaps and economic recovery plans, has been crucial to keeping businesses afloat," she said.
"The most frequently accessed supports have been JobSaver and the COVID-19 business grants. Over 50 per cent of recipients indicated that they would have closed without these supports."
Ms Rae said there was starting to be a real buzz in Thirroul.
"We started last week by doing shorter hours thinking we would ease back in with the community. But we are now back 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm Saturday and 9am to 3pm Sunday," she said.
"A lot of people have started their Christmas shopping. There is such a beautiful vibe in our stores. People are coming in with smiling faces. We thank every one of them for supporting local. We are so grateful."
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
