A community campaign to save the general store in a tiny central Victorian town has paid off with a local family swooping in to buy it.

The 108-year-old Guildford store went to auction on Saturday with a reserve price of $750,000.

It was sold at $710,000.

Anton Perry said the purchase, made by his 89-year-old nan Norma Hancock, was a sudden decision.

“It was Nan’s decision, and she has always made very bold decisions in the spur of the moment.”

Ms Hancock, who lives in nearby Castlemaine but regularly travels to Guildford, said she wanted to purchase the store after she heard how much it meant to the community.

“I got to know some of the people up here and they were all congregating like sheep to tell me how much they needed [the] store in Guildford,” the 89-year-old said.

Ms Hancock has previously been a ballet dancer and an orchardist.

She has also been involved in a company selling lighting equipment for the entertainment industry.

But she said this latest turn in her career is fulfilling for both her and the community.

“You can be doing something for somebody else, enjoying yourself at the same time.”

The family hopes to be open as soon as possible after the sale is settled.

The general store began as the Commercial Hotel in 1865 before becoming a shop in 1916.

The store was owned and run locally up until 2021 when it was sold on.

The last owners closed the stores doors in March 2024.

New beginnings, familiar faces

The family plans to turn the Guildford General Store back into a meeting place for the community as well as a place to buy takeaway and essentials.

It’s another victory for residents after they successfully lobbied the Victorian Government to reopen the local primary school, and publicans Tom Allen and Megan Evans took over the family hotel.

Jeremy Meadan led the campaign and said the shop’s sale was a great alternative to a cooperative business model.

“[Guildford] has always been a place where people look after each other, people look out for one another,” he said.

“If you want to do that to the best of your ability, you need a place to do it in.

Busy times ahead

Ms Hancock said she wants to be guided by the community in how to run the store.

Her grandson, Mr Perry, said it was fantastic to keep the shop in local hands, but he will be the busiest man in Guildford, as he also continues to run the family’s kennel and cattery.

“We’ve already got a very solid team down at the kennel and cattery and was just getting into a situation where I was able to relax a bit here,” Mr Perry said.

“There’ll just be no relaxation at all, [but] that’s okay.

“We’ll get that sorted, and in a few years maybe I’ll be able to take a deep breath.”

He said a community had put in “a very, very intense effort” to try to look after the shop as a community-minded conglomerate, which didn’t eventuate.

“[But] there we were in that moment,” he said.

“We made that decision to go ahead with it.”