From cafes to medical centres: 13 businesses that closed
BUSINESS is full of highs and lows. The Toowoomba business community has been through a lot in the last year. Here are the businesses that shut up shop. Charred
ONE of Toowoomba’s most popular restaurants has shut its doors.
“For lease” signs have gone up outside Charred Toowoomba, which was based out of the old Weis Restaurant on Margaret St in East Toowoomba.
Along with closing the premises, the restaurant’s website and social media accounts have been shut down as well.
The highly-popular venue was run by Dave Wood, who confirmed the closure.
Charred was among the hundreds of eateries across the region hit hard by the COVID-19 restrictions in March.
Michelle’s Cafe
Michelle’s Cafe on the corner of Ruthven and Margaret streets closed for good in August, with a for lease sign on the door.
Like many hospitality businesses in Toowoomba, Michelle’s Cafe temporarily closed in March due to government regulations surrounding COVID-19.
It reopened in late May offering takeaway coffee and meals, however it closed just a few months later.
Michelle’s Cafe specialised in vegetarian and vegan meals, opening in 2015.
It sold amazing sweet treats such as banana bread and homemade cakes, as well as hot food including toasted sandwiches and curries.
The Florence
ITS owner said in August 2019 that The Florence was “temporarily shut” for some renovation work.
“We’re just going to freshen up for spring,” publican Mic Uebergang said.
But “temporary” appears to have become permanent, with the pub still standing dormant 11 months later.
The Florence opened in July 2018, after being bought by Mr Uebergang and his business partner Karl Voll.
It was previously known as The Office and owned by the now-defunct Worldwide Hospitality Group, which went into liquidation in April 2018.
Mac’s Sand and Gravel
AN ERA of almost half a century has come to an end with the closure of Toowoomba landscaping and soil supplies company Mac’s Sand and Gravel in August 2019.
The Brooke St business in
North Toowoomba, which backed onto West Creek, was opened by the late Bill McErlean in the early 1970s and Mr McErlean passed the business on to his son Jeff McErlean about 15 years ago.
However, a downturn in business left Mr McErlean Jnr between a rock and a hard place and he decided to close and look to other ventures.
O Banh Mi
A TOOWOOMBA food outlet which specialised in serving a range of delicious banh mi rolls closed its doors in September 2019.
Hoa Chiem and Tram Hoang opened O Banh Mi in Duggan St in December 2015.
The Vietnamese restaurant was originally named after its speciality, banh mi.
The business was taken over earlier in 2019 by Van Le.
Flannerys
AN ORGANIC health food chain that rescued Toowoomba’s Wray Organic store from the brink in 2018 shut up shop in November 2019.
Customers at Flannerys Organic and Wholefood Market on Margaret St were greeted in late November 2019 with a notice on the door saying the company had decided to shut its Toowoomba store for good.
The closure came after Flannerys trading entity The Natural Grocery Company Pty Ltd was placed in voluntary administration, with Timothy Cook of Balance Insolvency appointed administrator.
Flannerys swooped in and purchased the Toowoomba store in February 2018 after Wray Organic fell into liquidation.
The store was sold by liquidators to Flannerys “as a going concern”, saving 30 jobs at the time.
Millmerran Medical Centre
POLITICIANS, residents and business groups in the small town of Millmerran were taken by surprise after the sudden closure of its GP clinic over the 2019/20 Christmas break.
The privately-owned practice, owned by long-time GP Dr Andrew Reedy, also provided doctors to the town’s hospital and also saw patients at Cecil Plains.
Yabba Refrigerated Transport
A TOOWOOMBA refrigerated transport company collapsed owing about $1 million, according to the liquidator.
Yabba Refrigerated Transport Pty Ltd operated from 225 Russell St, Newtown, according to documents filed with the Australian Securities and In
vestments Commission.
ASIC records show the company was registered on January 30, 2019, with John Joseph Hefferan as director.
WTC Advisory’s Andrew Weatherley was appointed liquidator of the company on January 22 this year.
KBH Enterprises
FOR more than 40 years, KBH Enterprises and its earlier incarnations had been assisting people with disabilities and mental illnesses to develop valuable skills.
But on March 31 this year, Toowoomba’s longest-standing social enterprise was no longer, succumbing to changes to funding streams and a lack of sales.
KBH began as an occupational therapy unit within the grounds of Baillie Henderson hospital several decades ago, helping people with mental illness develop valuable woodworking skills.
In 1994 Karakan took on the administration of the organisation, and it was renamed KBH Enterprises.
Bullzeye
Bullzeye stores across the country, including Toowoomba, closed their doors in March.
The western clothing and accessories company had physical stores in Rockhampton, Townsville, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and Mackay with a warehouse in Murrarie for online orders.
It was announced the company had gone into liquidation, following a notice published on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission website on March 11.
The Engine Room Cafe
THE Engine Room cafe closed its doors permanently in early April.
After running the cafe for five years, owner Terry Jennings made the heartbreaking decision to permanently close after the impacts of COVID-19 led to him losing 80 per cent of his business.
Mr Jennings thanked the Engine Room Cafe community for their support.
HTQ Civil Pipe Mining
TOOWOOMBA civil construction company Hotshot Transport Queensland, which traded as HTQ Civil Pipe Mining, is in liquidation.
The company was placed into a members voluntary liquidation on June 30 and Adam Ward of Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants was appointed liquidator.
In a notice to former employees dated July 3, Mr Ward wrote that he expected “to be able to payout your full employee entitlements” and that it would occur “as a priority dividend”.
A Worrells note to creditors states the company is solvent and all creditors are expected to be paid in full, “the timing of which will be advised in future updates”.
Bubmania
A TOOWOOMBA baby retail store shut its doors at the end of June.
Owner Donna Scott said the move was symptomatic of the struggles felt by the remaining independent baby retailers in Queensland.
“It is more about the fact that it’s getting harder for the independent businesses to compete against the buying power of larger chains,” she said.