Altona North resident Cathy Nikolioudakis summed up the feelings of many in the community when the Woolworths supermarket in Borrack Square closed its doors for the last time on Friday, October 18.
“It’s the end of an era,” said Ms Nikolioudakis, who shopped at the Borrack Square supermarket all her adult life.
“For nearly 60 years there’s been a supermarket there. Originally it was only a small supermarket and then they opened the bigger one in about 1978. I was still in primary school,” she recalled.
“It went from SSW to SIMS to Payless, then Tuckerbag took over for a few years,” Ms Nikolioudakis said of the store’s various guises over the years.
After Woolworths took over Tuckerbag in the 90’s, the Borrack Square supermarket became part of the grocery giant’s empire, even after it built a newer, larger store at the nearby Millers Junction Shopping Centre.
But with Woolworth’s lease at Borrack Square coming to an end and the building considered small and outdated, the decision to close the doors for good was made.
“We know some customers will be disappointed but we look forward to them shopping at our Millers Junction and Spotswood stores,” said a Woolworths spokesperson.
“All team members have been given roles in other neighbouring stores so our customers should expect to see many familiar faces when shopping.”
While having no hard feelings towards Woolworths, Ms Nikolioudakis lamented the loss of community and connection in grocery shopping.
“You’d get to the checkout ladies and sort of form friendships with them after a while,” she said.
“That’s all gone. Now it’s sort of in and out, thankyou and goodbye.”
Cade Lucas
