Newham residents are rallying to secure a future for Newham General Store after its recent indefinite closure.
Business owners announced its closure in a public statement after they were “unable to extend the lease past the current term”.
“On this basis we have made the hard decision to wind up the business operating the store, effective from today. Unfortunately this means that we will not reopen the store and we will be selling up,” they said.
Long-term Newham resident Stephen Mitchell said the community had been left in the dark about the store’s future but was hopeful of finding a solution to see it reopen.
“Its closure leaves the community in a dire situation,” he said.
“The store has a long history of deep community interest and investment.
“It was a major employer of young people in Newham, it’s also an important part of the local economy and its closure is going to have a big social impact. Ultimately it’s the community that suffers here.”
The community has already seen the impact of the store’s closure for an extended period years ago and doesn’t want to lose all that has been built since.
Newham General Store has had multiple operators over the years, the most recent took over the store in December last year.
Before then, three local families had operated the business to ensure its continued operation after another operator sold up.
One member of that family co-operative, Luke Spielvogel, it was “a real shame” to see the store closed.
“The Newham General Store has become a real hub for our local community,” he said.
“(Most recent operator) Elizabeth has continued the hard work it took to bring it back. I also understand the uncertainty of lease arrangements when coupled with the challenges of hospitality generally, has made it really difficult.”
Newham General Store has been an important community hub where residents can display notices, share local information and socialise.
Andrew Dufty moved to Newham nearly three years ago and found the general store was the best way to connect with people in the community.
“It very much is the hub of the community and a bit like the glue that holds the community together. People will miss the connectivity that it offered,” he said.
“We would like to see some positive moves to get it up and going again quickly. We don’t want to dwell on the negatives but just want to see it reopened. We love our little store – it’s great and a great drawcard for the town. We see people have really made it part of their journey out here.”
The store has proven popular with tourists visiting Hanging Rock – the iconic bronze pig sculpture featured on a stone wall out the front since 2010, is a photo hot-spot.
Nicknamed Chin-Chin, the pig was donated by local jeweller and wall builder Roy Martin as part of a program of streetscape improvements conducted by the community at that time, with the support of Macedon Ranges Shire Council.
The tight-knit community banded together when the pig was stolen in 2019 and rallied to recast and reinstate the sculpture.
Newham residents are now forming a working party to discuss how the community might proceed in securing the store’s future.
