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2005 (c) Peninsula Community Access Newspaper Inc

 

Bensville shopping centre completed

 

The redevelopment of the Bensville Store site has been completed with the last of five shops being let.

The shopping centre has a hairdresser, a general store, a video library, real estate agency and now a café, which started in July.

The first of the businesses, Gabi and Ricardo Hair Design Studio, started in March and became Bensville's first hairdresser.

Proprietors Mr Richard Collins and Ms Gabrielle Mathews are not hairdressers themselves, but opened the business because they saw what they believed to be a great opportunity in the area that they could fulfil.

The salon is staffed by four senior hairdressers, all of whom work part-time and job share.

The seniors are assisted by a second-year apprentice, Ms Megan Ratcliff.

Richard Collins, a Peninsula resident for over five years, runs his own energy consultancy business from his home in Umina while his partner Gabrielle Mathews, who "has lived in the area for most of her life", is employed at the Richardson and Wrench Real Estate Agency at the Bensville shopping centre.

Manna Café, which opened most recently, is owned by Nickolas Shakoff.

Nickolas has come to the area from Sawtell where he operated his own pizza shop.

Manna Café trades from Wednesday to Sunday and has a range of light meals available.

The shopping centre development started in December 2002 when Gosford Council approved approved the construction of a mixed-use commercial-residential development on the site.

The council also investigated the possibility of relocating the original Bensville General Store building from the site to the reserve opposite, but this did not eventuate.

The shops and adjacent residential units were completed in March by property developer and current land owner Mr Frank Marino.

Cec Bucello, August 2