It will be the end of an era in retailing in Yarrawonga when Houghtons Don and Heather McPhee close their doors on Saturday, September 21.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
“Don and I would like to sincerely thank our entire local and visitor customers who loved calling into our store, be it to purchase or just to have a chat,” Heather told the Yarrawonga Chronicle.
“We appreciate their patronage and support and know they will miss our little store, as we too will miss the interaction with customers, but unfortunately the hard decision had to be made.
“One of our highlights has been to see loyal and regular customers and getting to know them well.”
Don commented on those customers who became friends, many of whom have passed on. “They used to come into the shop, stand back from the counter to await service – they were so polite.”
Houghtons has been an institution in Yarrawonga for nearly 86 years. Mr John Houghton Snr originally established the large department store in 1933, which has continued to trade under the name ‘Houghtons’.
The department store consisted of a range of merchandise including ladies fashion, nightwear, underwear, bowls wear, menswear, fabrics and haberdashery, manchester, babies and children’s wear, accessories like gloves and scarves, hosiery and knitting yarns.
During the mid-50s the menswear division of Houghtons opened in a separate location and was managed by Len Bown.
Some of the staff who worked at Houghton’s during the period 1956 – 1959 were Allison (Star) Deans in sales, Alma Mitchell and Helen (Watkins) O’Brien who worked in the office. Store staff were Charlie Chappell, Stan King, Alan Howard, Robert Mansfield, Beverley Danes, Lorna (O’Dwyer) McMillan, Marion Ralph and Daphne Ferguson. Bernie Willet was a sales assistant in menswear prior to 1956.
Len and Ann Bown who began a ladies wear store nearby in 1951 amalgamated with the Houghton family in the mid-60s. They operated the department store plus the separate Men’s wear business and employed fifteen local people.
By the time Don and Heather bought the business in 1987 the Bowns had fully renovated the building which had been physically divided it in two by the then new building owner, Mr Des O’Meara. This had consequently reduced the shop size by half and thus cleared some of their stock items, for example, the babies and children’s wear, fabrics and haberdashery. They had also sold the menswear store to Tony Tabor who had worked there since Feb 1966 and later purchased the business in 1977.
The store has since seen a couple of refurbishments and some change to the direction of merchandise. Ladies fashion being the main focus in the past few years.
“We would like to acknowledge the staff who worked for us during our nearly 32 years here,” Don and Heather said.
“Firstly to Jeanette (Bown) McDonald who guided us during our early days in the business. To Yvonne Jackson who had previously been a long-term employee of the Bowns and helped us for a short period with our transition to retail. Thelma Barbuto worked for us for a number of years until the downturn in the economy during the early 1990s.”
Heather returned to secondary school teaching in 1996 and Barb Horley worked for Houghtons for 10 years. Brenda Welsh then worked alongside Don for 15 years. “To each and all we are extremely grateful for their service loyalty, work ethic and assistance over these years,” the McPhees said.
During the McPhees 32 years in business, many economic and social changes have directly impacted retail trade. More recently, the introduction of online shopping has contributed significantly to business. The shape of strip shopping centres is changing rapidly and unfortunately Houghton’s in its current form could not be sold.
Some lighter moments were recalled by the McPhees. “‘Recently we sold a turn-of-the-century antique safe to a man from out-of-town,” Heather said. “Jokingly I asked him if he wanted it to put cash or drugs in. He replied: ‘No, I want it to put my gun in. I’m a policeman.”
Don, a former Moira Shire Councillor and a volunteer of many Yarrawonga community organisations over the years, was always amused when customers would cast their eyes over clothes on racks which had clearly displayed their prices. “They’d ask me ‘How much is this please?’.
After being confronted with challenges, it is with regret Heather and Don are closing their business which has survived three decades under their management.
On the eve of closure, call in and see Heather and Don, and check out the final ultra-bargains!