New beginning for burnt retailer

HIGH-end clothing store Joe Paul Menswear is making a triumphant return to a prime corner of Hargreaves Mall.

Paul Kapsalis and Joe Care are celebrating the re-opening of their shop in the former Sportsco outlet.

Many will recall their original venue being damaged beyond repair following the much-publicised arson attack on the adjacent tobacco shop in summer.

Mr Kapsalis described January’s fire as “devastating.”

“When it started, I got a phone call at 4.57am. I remember it exactly,” he said.

“It was a call from my security company because the alarms were triggered. I thought someone had broken into the shop.

“Then I get another phone call and they say, ‘we think your shop’s on fire, next door’s burnt.’

“I rushed here and it’s this huge scene, and I had to wait until probably six or seven at night before they actually let me in.

“Then I just knew everything was gone. Everything.”

Mr Kapsalis said he was never tempted to take the easy route and reopen in the Marketplace.

“I’d rather be on the street, especially as an independent retailer,” he said.

“You don’t want to be choked by their regulations, whereas here there’s a lot of things that I can do.

“For me, this is a new beginning. This is a clean slate. It almost feels like it’s my first day in Bendigo.

“We’ve put a lot of work into the fit-out, a lot of heart to get it to look how it is now. I’m just really excited for people to see it.”

The close-knit pair of Mr Kapsalis and Mr Care met while working together at Man to Man in Shepparton when Mr Kapsalis was just 15 years old.

The store went into liquidation in 2016 and they took their chance at independent ownership, opening their own business in the same location.

“From there, we opened in Echuca in December 2019 and in 2021 we bought Peter Anthony’s – that was for sale – and we had always wanted to come to Bendigo.”