March 25, 2014
After more than 10 years of seven-day trading, Gerry and Margaret Gagel will be closing the doors on their Goomeri Cheeseworld store for the last time on Monday (March 31).
The unique shop, which specialises in selling hard-to-find Australian cheeses from all over the country, was inspired by a similar store the couple stopped at in early 2003 in Sale, Victoria, however that store specialised in just Gippsland cheeses.
The couple was so impressed with the concept that when they moved to the South Burnett, they decided they’d create something similar but better (complete with a two-storey mascot, “Motza The Mouse”).
Over the past decade Goomeri Cheeseworld has dazzled thousands of tourists and locals alike with its range of specialty cheeses and hard-to-get smallgoods.
And for the past few years, it’s also been a cellar door for Moffatdale Ridge Wines.
But fans who are saddened by news of the store’s impending closure needn’t worry: Gerry and Margaret may be shutting the shop, but they’re certainly not closing the Cheeseworld business.
Instead, they’ll be taking it on the road to local markets, race meetings and festivals in a specially equipped van.
“We’ve reached that time in life when running a seven-day business is getting to be a little too much,” Gerry said.
“But we’ve had such a good reaction to what we do at markets and festivals that we think we can work a bit less if we transition to that model.”
The couple are already regulars at the Nanango Country Markets, Kingaroy’s Wine and Food In The Park Festival and several other places, and intend to expand the range of events they appear at in the year ahead.
They’ll be using their website to keep customers informed of their latest appearance schedules – and for their regular customers, they’re also happy to do home deliveries.
Since the couple’s Goomeri store is also their home, they intend to continue living in the town after they close the shop’s doors.
This week they’re busy clearing excess stock to make way for their new “Cheeseworld On The Move” business.
Shoppers keen for a bargain can snap up most of the shop’s bottled smallgoods at a hefty 25 per cent discount.
They’ll also be running a clearance table with all items priced at cost or below.
