BEECHWORTH Bakery has opened at Yackandandah in a move its managing director says may have some “noses out of joint”.
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Trading began at 7.30am on Monday at the former Yackandandah Bakery premises which closed in June after its long-time owners Tom and Ann Laing retired.
Managing director Marty Matassoni concedes not everyone will be pleased the shop’s been rechristened Beechworth Bakery.
“I’m sure there’s a few people that will have their noses out of joint with that, but we want to get these guys (Yackandandah residents) on board and hopefully we can change their minds,” Mr Matassoni said.
“It was a really hard one to work through (the name change), but one of our successes is our brand so we felt we had to go with that.
“Our intention is to come to the town without poaching anyone’s business; we believe our brand will bring business with it.”
Indeed that was the general sentiment from townsfolk on Monday.
Yackandandah local of 56 years Val Johnson said: “I think if it draws the tourists to our little town that’s the main thing.”
Another customer Marcia Lack said: “It’s such a great thing for the town to have a bakery, the name is irrelevant, if anything I do think it’s an advantage – Beechworth Bakery is a good bakery and has good variety.”
Yackandandah newsagent James Lacey said having the bakery resume trading was fantastic.
“I think in 35 seconds it will be forgotten,” he said of the name.
“I don’t think there’s any problem at all.
“Yackandandah and Beechworth are going to be linked with a rail trail and we’re already in the same shire so it will be fine.”
Mr Matassoni declined to say how much he had paid for the 19th century building and the business, but said he had spent $50,000 on refitting it.
“There was not much we needed to change, it was just a freshen up to look like our brand with the red gum timber and our product,” he said.
Eleven staff will work at the Yackandandah store which is the seventh Beechworth Bakery to open but the first since 2006 when an outlet at Healesville began trading.
Baked goods will be brought from the Beechworth kitchen to Yackandandah and dropped off on the same truck run that now serves the Albury bakery.
