The Guildford community has been dealt a second blow with the town’s beloved general store closing its doors for the second time in two years on Sunday, just a month after the closure of the town’s historic pub.
In a post shared to the Guildford General Store Facebook page on January 24 they announced, ‘Due to family illness we will, regrettably, be permanently closing the General Store on Sunday February 1. The store will be advertised for sale or lease in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we will be opening the Stables Tavern (at the rear) for pizzas and alcoholic drinks as a place for the community to gather and enjoy. A massive thank you to all our regular customers and supporters over the last year. And finally, a big shout out to our wonderful staff who have been the heart and soul of the store. – Thanks Norma and the Guildford General Store team.’
The Guildford General Store last closed its doors in February 2024 with the community without its local staple until August 2024. Then the iconic local business went to auction with a reserve price of $750,000 and was purchased by the sole bidder, 89-year-old Castlemaine resident Norma Hancock, for $710,000.
Ms Hancock told our sister paper the Castlemaine Mail at the time that the Guildford community ‘co-op’ that had been planning to buy the store had to drop out and everybody was saying, ‘what are we going to do, we have to do something’.
“I travel back and forth all the time to visit my daughter and grandson and I thought it would be good to be closer to them. I’m very happy… It will be so good for the community who have said they want to be involved…,” she said.
The latest development comes four weeks after the owner of the Guildford Family Hotel, Megan Evans, announced that she had been forced to close the local watering hole.
In a statement on the pub’s Facebook page she commented, ‘Everyone knows how much I have loved running the pub and serving its customers, many of whom are now friends. Thank you to my all my staff for your hard work and dedication. – Megan’.
The business reportedly owes up to $300k to the Australia Tax Office and went into administration just before the festive break. A sign outside the hotel indicates the pub is currently on the market.
FILLING THE GAP
Despite the closure of the two iconic local businesses, the town’s third shopfront, the Guildford Post Office and Cafe, continues to work to serve the tight-knit community and fill the gap.
Guildford Post Office and Cafe operator, Michelle McKendry, told the Express ”we are still here! And there are still plenty of reasons to visit the township”.
Michelle and her partner Wal worked hard to fill the gap after the last general store closure in early 2024, adding staples like milk and other everyday essentials to save locals the 20-minute round trip to Castlemaine.
The cafe also offers freshly brewed barista coffee and their food van offers a selection of hot food every Tuesday evening from traditional Fish ‘n’ Chips to burgers.
“We are also currently working to obtain a liquor licence so people can pop in an enjoy a beer with their lunch or an afternoon wine and charcuterie board with friends.
“We are also looking to expand our current menu to introduce hot food from 9am to 1pm each day for locals and passing tourists and tradies. We hope to get this up and running shortly. We just need to employ an extra staff member to make this happen,” she said.
Michelle said the community would love to see the pub and general store reopen, but in the meantime they are grateful that they are striving to fill the gap.
“We’ve had a really incredible response. We are also looking to expand our food van offerings to Friday evenings and offer live music in the courtyard.
“We really want to create a space where community members can continue to meet and maintain those important connections,” she said.
“I’m sure the store and pub will eventually reopen. But we are putting the work in to develop our business and meet the needs of the community so once all these new offerings are in place we will continue them moving forward. We are committed to our community,” Michelle said.
