From cafés to nail and beauty parlours, Shepparton businesses are gearing back up either with new management, a new store front or an entirely new business altogether.
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Shepparton Chamber of Commerce and Industry president John Anderson said despite the hard times he was glad to see more businesses coming to Shepparton.
“There is always room for something new and innovative in a bigger centre of Shepparton. We see empty shops either because businesses close or move away, so it’s always a welcome sign to see something new. We’ve seen a bunch of new hospitality businesses start up in these difficult times and it’s always good to see something with a point of difference — and with the empty shops Shepparton has had over the last 10 years, we are at a point where we are filling them up now,” he said.
Here are a few businesses to check out this week.
Augustus Gelatery
Victorian-based gelato company Augustus Gelatery will be making its debut to Shepparton in mid-February, in Maude St.
Augustus brand manager Amie Surridge said the business was excited to open a shop in Shepparton and hoped to expand out to regional areas more, with this being its fourth regional store.
“Really our aim at Augustus is to bring a piece of the city into the suburbs. We have those city flavours and vibe in-store and we bring it into the outer suburbs for those who don’t want to travel to Melbourne,” she said.
“We just heard there was a buzz up there and everybody is talking to us about Shepparton and it’s the next place to move. So, we thought we’d get in before everyone from Melbourne did.”
Augustus aims to produce the best quality gelato by incorporating fresh ingredients, according to Miss Surridge.
“We make everything fresh so it’s not long-term storage. It always tastes better when fresh, and we use a lot of local ingredients and fruit from Queensland growers. It’s really made in the traditional way and we put a twist on modern favours,” she said.
Augustus is currently looking for staff in Shepparton who want to scoop with a smile, according to Miss Surridge.
“Every scoop goes with a free smile at Augustus,” she said.
To apply for a job send your resume through to scoop@augustusgelatery.com.au
Pranzos Café
Pranzos Café has relocated from Shepparton Marketplace to Fryers St, and it’s busier than ever after only eight weeks of trade.
“Our trade is quite strong throughout the week because of the offices around the area, which is really good,” owner Melina Loverso said.
Pranzos specialises in Italian cuisine and prides itself on using fresh local ingredients.
Mrs Loverso said Pranzos’ pasta sauces were what made it stand out from the crowd.
“We make all our sauces so everything is home made and fresh daily. We offer fresh salads, wraps and home-made arancini, sweets and coffee. We try to support local as much as we can,” Mrs Loverso said.
“I think that’s why customers kept coming back. There’s a difference when you slowly cook the bolognaise for three to four hours and Napoli sauce for about two hours,” Mrs Loverso said.
Pranzos also caters to those who require gluten-free food, and has extended its hours so the café is open a few nights a week.
Pranzos is located at 88 Fryers St.
Centre Point Nails and Beauty
Husband and wife duo Nam Doan and Julia Nguyen are hitting the ground running this year as they take on new ownership of Centre Point Nails and Beauty.
Both have more than 15 years’ experience in the nail and beauty industry in both New Zealand and Australia.
Mr Doan specialises in nail art and care and is aiming to bring in more acrylic work at Centre Point Nails and Beauty.
Mrs Nguyen specialises in cosmetic tattooing, waxing and eyelashes and is in the process of implementing these treatments in the business too.
Mrs Nguyen said after working in Melbourne, Wangaratta and Mooroopna, they wanted to try something new and challenge themselves.
“I wanted to try something else — like with cosmetic tattooing, eyelashes and waxing — and my husband is quite good at his nail art. He’s been doing it for more than 10 years, it’s more so around 15 years doing nail art,” Mrs Nguyen said.
“We are excited that we can focus on the thing that we have, which is experience, and try to make clients here.”
Centre Point Nails and Beauty is located in Centrepoint Arcade, in Maude St Mall.
Nutrition 3630
Only a month away from turning a year old, Nutrition 3630 is a relatively new café that provides a different alternative to unhealthy takeaway food.
Nutrition 3630 offers healthy low-kilojoule nutritional shakes, protein-based waffles and smoothie bowls, frozen yoghurt, energy teas and much more.
Owner Adem Barolli said he started the business hoping to fill in the niche market.
“It's about offering a healthy option for the community. It’s easy for everyone to get fast food which isn’t healthy, but this is healthy fast food where you can come in, order your shake, your tea, your focaccia, or something like that and it’s quick, it’s easy, it’s nutritious and makes you feel full,” Mr Barolli said.
Nutrition 3630 is located at 4/114 Fryers St and is open weekdays and Saturdays.
Belcibo + co
It’s not every day you see a café made out of shipping containers, but Marco and Belinda Amodio have done just that with their newly relocated café, Belcibo.
The café used to be located on Benalla Rd and is now in Fryers St, in the heart of Shepparton’s busiest area.
“It’s all shipping containers. It was an empty building so we started from scratch and transported all the shipping containers over on cranes and refurnished the whole place from scratch and designed it,” Mrs Amodio said.
“We love hospitality, we love people, we love food and we just wanted to challenge ourselves and do something a little bit different. You don’t see cafés made out of shipping containers everywhere. We wanted to make a point of difference,” she said.
Mr and Mrs Amodio said the café had attracted a new crowd of people and they had received a lot of positive feedback
“A lot more of a traffic flow here, a lot of new faces and it’s much busier ... It’s busy all the time,” Mrs Amodio said.
“People love it. They’ve been saying Shepparton needed something like this. It’s something different and it’s been good; customers say they don’t feel like they’re in Shepparton when they’re sitting inside or outside here,” Mr Amodio said.
Belcibo specialises in southern Italian-style food, taking pride in always using fresh ingredients and making home made pastas and other dishes.
Belcibo + co is located at 129 Fryers St and is open during the week and late on weekends.
Journalist