Rose Misevic, proprietor of the iconic Dog on the Tuckerbox coffee shop in Gundagai, said that ongoing travel restrictions and border closures have severely impacted foot traffic at the highway destination.

"We're not a border town, we're not a city, so it doesn't get realised how much these things impact us," she said.

"We rely on both New South Wales and Victoria for our corridor to be open (and) we've been impacted every time either city has an outbreak."

Mrs Misevic said the decision to temporarily close the store is "one of the biggest decisions I've had to make" in terms of business.

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Over the last few months customer intake has dropped by over 90 per cent, and when new staff were finally brought back in following the last outbreak, they just as quickly had to be sent home.

The proprietor says she feels like she's "living in the twilight zone", unable to make any plans for the future.

She worries that any plans for reopening could be done in vain if another outbreak occurs and the country is shut down. The coffee shop has also struggled with applying for COVID business grants.

"Because I've been in business one month less than two years, I do not fit into the current criteria," Mrs Misevic said. The current grant eligibility requires businesses to compare a two-week period of decline this year to June or July 2019, however Mrs Misevic didn't open until August 2019.

Since this issue was raised by The Daily Advertiser, Business NSW has reached out to assist Mrs Misevic with applying for support, and these discussions remain ongoing.

Mrs Misevic said that ultimately, she is looking forward to the day the coffee shop can reopen its doors with confidence.

"I want the site open and I want it thriving, and I want to be able to show people around this region."

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