A new dawn approaches for the old Knights building on Fitzmaurice Street, which will soon be home to four brand new businesses.
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Several Wagga businesspeople have joined forces for the new plan, which includes a high-end restaurant, wedding venue, cafe, and home centre.
The owners are hoping to open the cafe and the home centre in the next two to three months, and then they will build an entirely new building out the back to house the wedding venue and restaurant.
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The wedding venue and restaurant will share an expansive upper floor with a balcony that overlooks the Murrumbidgee River.
The separate business owners plan to collaborate, with the restaurant and cafe handling catering for the weddings and other events while also doing live cooking demonstrations at the home centre below.
Head chef Jamie Shepley, who will be running the cafe and restaurant, said they also wanted to work together with shopkeepers all over Fitzmaurice Street.
"Wagga's always had this mentality of being in competition with each other, but we're not in competition with each other. We're drawing people to this end of town and working together," Mr Shepley said.
"It creates a hype around this region. People will start to come to Wagga to dine, stay here, put money into the economy. It has to be collaboration instead of competition."
Mr Shepley said it would be an up-market restaurant in line with his other roles, having served fine dining at fancy establishments such as Three Chefs, The Oakroom, and Roundabout.
He will run the cafe and restaurant with his business partner Luke Kerlin, who he took on as an apprentice at the Junee Licorice and Chocolate factory at age 15.
Jason Pearce will be running the Riverina Home Centre on the ground floor, which is currently under construction and is due to open in the coming months.
Mr Pearce said it would be a high-end showroom on the ground floor with appliances, tiles, carpets, and kitchen displays with live demonstrations from baristas and chefs.
"It's good for Wagga, because there's nothing like it in Wagga," Mr Pearce said.
"We want this end of Wagga to come alive."
The cafe will be named Mr. Lawrence in honour of Leo Lawrence who owned the original poultry supply business in 1948.
The building is not yet heritage listed, but Heritage NSW have asked the owners to keep the original facade intact.
It will be a 30-seat cafe with a 20-seat alfresco dining area outside, right next to an outdoor woodfire pizza oven.
The building will have a car parking space on the ground level.
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