Despite expected retail losses of around $200,000, staff at Brennan’s Mitre 10 have braved flooded car parks and power failures to keep one of Dubbo’s iconic hardware stores open.
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Brennan’s Mitre 10 owner, Michael Brennan, whose local business has been operating for 35 years, said the store had a close escape on Saturday afternoon and “almost went under” when flood waters started to rise near the highway.
“We came within 30 centimetres of losing the garden centre. But we’re still open and heavily discounting stock,” he said.
Fortunately for Mr Brennan, the store’s toilets, water supply, phone lines and internet are all still operational, which meant managers only had to bring in power generators to keep the store alight.
Nonetheless, seasonal customer flows have decreased by a quarter because people don’t realise Mitre 10 is still trading, he said.
“Our front car park is closed
but people can still come in
opposite Officeworks.”
Late on Saturday, when flood waters came dangerously close to the store, 30 staff came down to the site to help move supplies. Since then, the team of about 45 have been keen to work, turning up early and leaving late most days, he said.
“We’ve had a lot of help from staff and from council workers, who came down five times to check on us,” the store owner said.
With less than a month before Christmas, Mr Brennan said he was determined to stay positive and protect his family’s legacy.
“We’re the only hardware shop in Australia with water views,” he boasted.
Mr Brennan explained both his father and grandfather were in the hardware business before him, beginning 78 years ago in Cobar.
The Dubbo Mitre 10 complex was originally constructed opposite the post office in Talbragar Street, then moved to its current location in 1983.
“We’ve grown from 2,000 square metres to 6,000 square metres - started off with a dozen staff, now have 45,” he said.
Although the store now has about $10,000 in property damage and no flood insurance, Mr Brennan was determined to persevere through this unpredictable patch.
“There’s nothing we can do, it’s an act of God,” he said.
“Retail will get a break shortly and business will resume.”
n Brennan’s Mitre 10 was omitted from the Daily Liberal’s list of Macquarie Street retailers, which appeared in yesterday’s paper.
