A host of Deloraine businesses experienced their biggest trade day of the year at last month’s Deloraine Street Car Show, organisers say.
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More than 500 cars were on display at the Emu Bay Road event, which in only its second year has become the state’s biggest car show.
Committee member Grant Evans said organisers had already pencilled in a date for the 2018 instalment following the success of last month’s show.
“Just by the look of some of the photographs and walking around there, we were thinking that there was probably 8000 to 10,000 people there at any one time, the street was pretty well packed-out,” Mr Evans said.
“Everyone was pretty flat out, you looked in Amble Inn and some of these other businesses throughout the day and people were queuing up to get food and so forth.”
Deloraine Town Cafe owner David Hausknecht said his store’s trade had tripled on the day of the car show.
“It’s just a fantastic day and I hope it continues, it boosts us up for the slower winter period,” Mr Hausknecht said.
“We had 10 staff on and the whole 10 staff were busy – when they first ran it last year I think we had seven staff so we had three more this year and we were all kept busy.”
Despite its relative infancy the show has already proved its worth to local business, leading Deloraine and Districts Community Bank to contribute $5000 towards the running of this year’s event.
Bank chairwoman Lynn Hayward said the car show did a magnificent job of drawing crowds into Deloraine on a Sunday.
“One of the main reasons why we (support it) is because the car show brings thousands of people to Deloraine,” Mrs Hayward said.
“Last year and this year some of our small businesses received the best trading day they've had all year so it's a great thing for the town and the whole community benefits.
“From a Community Banks perspective we're very supportive of that and we like to support a community that’s supporting itself.”
The show is run through the Van Diemens Street Rod Club and helped raise money for the Deloraine Fire Brigade and the SES.