Got any eggs?

This question was on repeat for about 11 days straight while we all waited for our mate Alfred.

For 11 days straight our little corner store opened, served, restocked, replenished, without skipping a beat.

For 11 days straight, team members listened to community stories and fielded questions, whilst not showing their own concerns for the state of their homes and for their work commute over the Walter Taylor Bridge.

We have been there before.  We are experienced in this sort of thing - floods and lockdowns.  A lot of scar tissue some would say.

We have been told we are appreciated, loved and supported.

We know we matter in the community.  

In times like this you can physically see the difference a local store can bring to a neighbourhood.  On local community pages we were inundated with images of bare shelves from the majors.  Causing much panic and alarm; we heard the criticism of “how can people stock up on so much??”

The reality is these large corporations are not equiped to deal with quick turnaround disasters.  Too many bottlenecks and restricted contracts.  And the result is the images posted on social media. 

So the little corner store becomes the beacon of hope and comfort.

Lush, fresh produce spilling over shelves, stacks of beef lasagnes and tubs of pumpkin soups to comfort you, and plenty of the fancy stuff too. 

But two weeks will pass and lives will go back to routine and we return to not being needed as much.

We face rising costs in product and overheads, increases in taxes, super and penalty rates. The increase in licences, registrations and the interrogation from weights and measure departments in comparison to “farmer markets”  who aren’t nearly as scrutinised. We do pride ourselves of doing everything correctly and absorb the cost this takes. 

The margins are tight and it makes it harder and harder to keep going.  Recently our store dealt with a theft issue that was undetected for 10 years. The price we pay for being the local, encouraging people to walk in freely and not having sophisticated anti-theft systems! And we don’t want to change that way of living! 

Your choice of deciding to go local means you are investing in YOUR community.  Sure our avos are not the cheapest but they are guaranteed the best! One day we will do a cost analysis of a basket of our products and basket of theirs and see by the end of the third day how much is thrown away from their basket… but that argument is for another day.

Today, we are ask for consideration, and active reciprocal support. 

Please consider doing a shop with us every week so we can still be here the next time. Use us for your next catering event, buy our meals online and choose us for gift hampers for special occasions. Of course this message is for our all neighbouring stores along Bank Road and Honour Avenue.  We are in such good company. 

Please don’t forget us 🍓

Finally, I guarantee those of you who are reading to the end of this post are our loyal customers who advocate and support us unwaveringly.  

We thank you and appreciate you. 

Love Peter and Kelly