Michelago General Store comes out Australia Day winner as plans for a liquor licence come to fruition

With 642 residents, the town of Michelago in the Snowy Monaro region might be considered tiny. But leading the charge on building community camaraderie that outweighs the population is the town’s general store.

Owned and operated by Belinda Hayes and her family, who purchased it in 2023, the Michelago General Store received an award for special achievement in business in the Snowy Monaro Australia Day ceremony, which noted their dedication and commitment to the community.

Having uprooted their city lives to raise their children in the country, the Hayes family has worked hard to build community and acknowledge that while buying the general store was not in their plans, the country lifestyle is for them.

“Living in Michelago is everything we imagined, and the store has added to that. It was never our vision or plan to own the general store; it’s busy, but we wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Belinda.

With the intention of being active in the community, Belinda has focused on ways that the general store can support locals.

“We’re always bringing in new product lines to the retail side of the store. There are incredible artists and photographers in the village, and we’ve got greeting cards, postcards, wall art, headbands and soaps, all made by residents. It’s really exciting to be able to support the locals,” explains Belinda.

In the past 12 months, Belinda has also been able to host a range of free community events, inviting locals to join them for Christmas celebrations with Santa in attendance, a Halloween sausage sizzle, and even mini markets where locals can sell their fresh produce.

As the community bonds grow, Belinda acknowledges that her business is heavily supported by the passing snow traffic. Located on the Monaro Highway, the town intercepts the flowing snow traffic and Canberrans and Sydneysiders are increasingly making the general store a stop en route to their ski holidays, and Belinda always has these customers in mind.

“Sometimes it’s a bit intimidating walking into a pub or general store in a town you’ve never been in; you get that feeling that everyone looks at you and thinks, ‘Who’s that?’ So we’re trying to make sure it’s inviting and welcoming to everybody.”

With the passing ski traffic a given, Belinda would love to see more Canberrans heading their way.

“We would love to be more of a day trip destination for Canberrans; they can come out for a coffee or breakfast, have a wander around the store and the town; it would be great for the community.”

To cater for the day-trippers, Belinda has a large menu of cafe classics and invites Canberra to come out for a big country breakfast with all the usual suspects of egg, bacon, mushrooms, tomato, hash brown and chorizo with a side of sourdough.

There are also eggs your way, avo and feta on toast and a range of lunchtime burgers and rolling specials like homemade lasagne and fresh wraps, toasties and pies, because what would a general store be without a classic Aussie pie?

In chatting with Belinda, you get a sense of a woman who is dedicated to a business that she has shaped and moulded over the years and one she intends to run well into the future. As we wrap up our conversation, Belinda is excited to share something that she’s been keeping under wraps until now.

“Just before Christmas we applied for a liquor licence and we’re about to become a licensed cafe. There’s no pub in town so this will be it and it opens up so many opportunities for the community.”

Belinda has big plans to not only offer drinks with lunches but also run special dinners and events – all more ways to gather her community around her and further testament to her Australia Day win.

The Michelago General Store is located at 50 Ryrie Street, Michelago. It is open 7 days a week from 8 am until 6 pm. For more information on what is happening at the store, follow Belinda and the team on Facebook.

Original Article published by Tenele Conway on About Regional.