RELATED
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A local landmark turned eyesore is almost reincarnated, with the Hopetoun Hotel just weeks away from reopening as a popular restaurant chain.
The former watering hole, which been dormant for almost nine years, is in the final fit out stages and owner Michael Guida expects to open the doors in two-three months.
“It has been a stale corner for a very long time and people are excited about it. She’s come up really nice,” said Mr Guida, who plans to turn the pub into a Lazy Moe’s family restaurant and student accommodation.
And while Mr Guida was reluctant to set an opening date, he said the feedback from the community has been “massive”.
The hotel, on the corner of Mitchell and Wills Street, was purchased by the Guida family in 2012, and they were hopeful of having the new venture up-and-running in 2015.
The restaurant chain is one of a number of new businesses in the area.
The Asian Food Emporium, on Williamson Street, opened three weeks ago.
Owner Jared Marwood said the growth of multiculturalism in Bendigo prompted himself and his partner into a new business venture.
“It’s a massive risk, it’s really scary. When you have all that money out on the floor, of course it’s a risk,” he said.
“There’s Thais, Filipinos, Indians, and of course Aussies (customers).”
He said a number of Afghani and Burmese families had relocated to Bendigo from Melbourne, meaning the local Asian market was “growing and growing”.
Mr Marwood said he was trying to move away from the dirty Asian grocery store, which he suggested were commonplace in Melbourne.
Owner of Little Loves Boutique, Karla Tucci, said while the CBD was not bustling with shoppers, she understood the difficulties of small business.
“I would like to see more people (traders) in there, but the emergence of large one-stop shopping centres makes it tough,” said Mrs Tucci, whose shop opened in October 2016.