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shop, Dee’s Gifts, in the Central
Arcade 12 months ago. She says
the decrease in vacant shops in
and around Bridge Street reflects
well on the town. “It’s a really pos-
itive thing to see new businesses
opening, but it is also important
to let the community know they
need to shop locally and support
the businesses that support the
town.”
De-anne, who is vice presi-
dent of Muswellbrook Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, says
retailers are feeling the flow-on
effects of the mining downturn
K e e p yo ur do l l ar s
l o c a l
Businesses braving the challenging market
Injecting some colour into Bridge
Street, The Happy Tooth dentist is
among the town’s newest businesses.
Muswellbrook’s main street
and central shopping area have
long had an abundance of vacant
shops, but it seems that is start-
ing to change. A number of new
retailers have opened, braving
the challenging business climate
and the community is being en-
couraged to help them keep their
doors open well into the future.
Some much-needed diversity
has entered the town’s shopping
landscape, much of it led by busi-
nesswomen. Nora and Kate, Dee’s
Gifts and Finders Keepers have
filled a significant gap in the mar-
ket for women’s fashion, acces-
sories and beautiful homewares,
while dentist Dr Alexys Ward and
her colleagues have made a bold
entrance to Bridge Street, with the
colourful façade of The Happy
Tooth attracting plenty of atten-
tion. The business fills a large of-
fice space left by Hunter Mutual’s
relocation to Muswellbrook Fair.
Milkwood Teahouse, just
around the corner in Sowerby
Street, offers a laid-back atmos-
phere and quirky interior – and
pretty amazing chicken and
mushroom dumplings. Milkwood
won the award for best new busi-
ness at this year’s Muswellbrook
Chamber of Commerce and In-
dustry business awards.
De-anne Douglas opened her
but it isn’t all doom and gloom.
“Muswellbrook can rise above
this,” she says. “I would say to
the community ‘support what
you’ve got, while you’ve got it’.
And if people do that, more new
businesses will open. It would be
lovely to see the main street com-
pletely full.”
De-anne says shoppers should
not be deterred by lack of main
street parking, with large parking
lots available behind the Central
Arcade and across the road behind
Campbell’s Corner.
