It would be difficult to find a better example of shopping locally than at Mooroopna Hardware.
Mooroopna Hardware was established by Allen and Jenni Hunter in 1983, but after 28 years was sold to Mitre 10 Corporate.
Just five years later, however, in June 2016, Mitre10 closed it down before it was reopened by Allen after a community outcry.
It’s now embarking on its newest chapter, while still staying local.
Joey and April Campanelli took over the business on July 1.
Their faces might be recognisable, as Joey’s been working in the store for 12 years, and April for three.
“I mean, everyone knows Joey’s face. When I say that I work here they go, ‘Oh, how long have you been here?’ because I’ve been in the office. I’ve been in the background, but everyone knows Joey,” April said.
They’ve also retained the existing staff of around a dozen.
“Fantastic staff. We’re like a family. Keep it nice and tight. Everyone works together. Yeah, that’s the best part,” April said.
The couple, who have four children, said they have also had strong support from customers welcoming them into their new roles.
“We sent out an email at the start of the month, and there was so many ‘Congratulations!’ and that sort of thing, and customer support is the most important part,” April said.
“We won’t have a business without them. So we really appreciate all of that.”
Joey and April say customers shouldn’t assume that locally owned businesses don’t have the same reach or access to products as the big corporates, saying what counts is relationships.
“We try to focus on what customers want, so if they come in and they say, ‘I need this!’ Joey has a such an amazing resource of reps and everything,” April said.
“I think we even had one at like eight o’clock at night one night, a customer called him and said, ‘I need this stuff. I need this. How quickly can you get it?’ and it’s like, ‘Okay, I’ll send this person a text. I’ll see what's going on’.”
It’s that personal touch the couple are determined to hold on to and ensure there’s a hardware business in Mooroopna for many years to come.