ONLY a few hundred metres is stopping Geoffrey Michael from opening his Albury patisserie.
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Based at Leneva, Geoffrey Michael lives just outside the border zone introduced by the NSW government at midnight yesterday.
The border zone has shrunk considerably since the NSW-Victorian border was closed a fortnight ago to help contain the spread of a coronavirus spike in Melbourne.
Geoffrey was shocked by the revised border map on Monday and contacted Service NSW for clarity.
"I'm a few hundred metres out of the border bubble," he said.
"We were so grateful and excited to be getting back on our feet; now we're facing the possibility of closure again."
Having already shut his business for nine weeks from March 25 amid the initial coronavirus lockdown, Geoffrey said trade had rebounded strongly until the border closure.
He said he had been buoyed by customers on both sides of the border, particularly a new contingent of Wodonga bike riders.
"Since the closure, we've been a couple of thousand dollars a week down," Geoffrey said.
"We've had people from Wodonga ring up to cancel cake orders.
"We had high teas for Saturday already booked and paid for - including a private one for 20 people; we're going to have to repay those people now."
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Together with partner Hanessa Blanza, Geoffrey said they shut the business in March because takeaway couldn't cover fixed costs.
"We were lucky to be able to shut a lot of our bills down, like rent, electricity and Cleanaway," he said.
"We had two staff qualify for JobKeeper."
Failing the border zone being redrawn, Geoffrey said they would have to put the business on hold again.
"The amount of trouble in Victoria with COVID-19, I understand they need to do something to stop it," he said.
The Albury Club-based business Milkin Kitchen will shift camp to Rutherglen in view of the border closure.
Owners Matthieu and Erica Miller, who live at Rutherglen, don't qualify for border permits to work in Albury.
"We will be setting up shop at Rutherglen Bowls Club and welcome chef Douglas Elder back to the kitchen."
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