Local Business: New owner for Fairy Meadow Newsagency

Kristy McGrath has taken ownership of the Fairy Meadow Newsagency, after years earlier walking through the business each day to go to school.

The business was previously owned by Nick and Kate DiMaggio, who sold the business exactly 16 years after Kate started there.

Kristy has been an employee for the past five years but a love of the business and its staff prompted her to want to buy it.

Here are Kristy’s plans for the business...

Have you had a long association with the newsagency?

Yeah, I used to walk through here on the way home from school, so we used to walk through the shop. I've just always been coming in as a customer and known Kate and Nick the whole time they've had it.

It's funny, because it still just feels the same. So much has changed, but it just always feels so familiar. Being able to walk through and walk out to the car park and through to Guest Park, it just all still feels the same. It’s weird that it’s come full circle.

What prompted you to want to buy the Fairy Meadow Newsagency?

I just have thoroughly enjoyed working here. We've got a lot of regular customers that we love seeing every day and the girls I work with are amazing, which definitely helped me buy it. We’ve just got a really great team here, so it was a no-brainer.

What were you doing before you worked at the newsagency?

I was in childcare before - a bit of a different field. But I worked in retail when I was a teenager too, so it's always been there for me.

What’s the history of the newsagency?

Kate’s auntie and uncle had it before (they owned it) for I think close to 20 years.

I've got an old photo of it when it was down near where Cassa Mia, the bra shop, was. That’s the first place it opened in the 1950s.

It’s pretty cool to know it's something that has just been here for so long and is part of the community.

(Kate and Nick) they definitely left a good legacy here with customers. Customers are still always asking about them and how they are.

What sort of comments have you received since people have found out that you've bought the business?

Yeah, really positive. I think because I've been here already for so long, I know all the customers.

For Kate and Nick to leave, everyone was obviously upset, but they're happy that's it’s staying the same - that we're all still here and the girls are staying on. Nothing’s changing too much.

What do you like about Fairy Meadow in particular and that community?

I grew up here, so this is my home. I grew up in Winton Place, so it just feels like home to me. So I'm very familiar with all the shops and the customers and everything like that.

What are your goals for the newsagency now?

I want to keep that community feel going and making sure we're servicing all our customers to the best of our ability and just bring in a few more gift items. I'm going to go a bit bigger with the party section, so still stay with the times and just bring some new products to Fairy Meadow as well.

Has the party side gotten bigger, because it seems to be in a lot more shops?

The decorating side of when people are doing events and stuff is getting bigger and bigger. People enjoy it. They like that we do the balloons and everything, so they don't have to go into town and find parking.

You can learn more about the Fairy Meadow Newsagency via their Facebook page.

To learn more about buying, selling or leasing a property in Fairy Meadow and surrounds, contact Joanne on (02) 4285 7400.

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