There has finally been some movement at a disused shopfront on Watsonia Road, after years of nothing on an otherwise prime piece of retail real estate. While no signage has been put in place, unlike the celebrated announcement of the opening of Kebab Nation, two large skips have been parked out the front of the site, and workers have been seen entering the building. Whispers have spread around the Watsonia community speculating what the new store may be. For many years, the site has essentially been an abandoned delicatessen as the fading sign of its previous iteration has faded in the sun of many silent summers. Residents have regularly commented on the potential of such a retail property, with many a day dreamer fantasising about opening a successful business in the retail hub of Watsonia. Now it seems someone has put their money where their mouth is, but what will it be? Will it be another pizza shop? Watsonia only has four. Will it be a third bakery? We really love pies and sausage rolls. Or will it be a trendy burger joint, as this is possibly the only hole in a flooded takeaway food marketplace? Only time will tell… More than eight months after our original report on this intriguing development, signs of movement have again been seen out the front of the abandoned shopfront in Watsonia. Originally reported on by The Watsonia Bugle in June last year, the abandoned delicatessen has been a wasted piece of prime real estate on the thriving retail strip of Watsonia Road. Nestled next to Professor’s Pizza and the IGA car park, in recent days the site has again been adorned by a skip out the front, and movement in and out of the store – presumably making minor improvements for a potential re-launch in the coming months. Our report last year sparked numerous theories about what might appear at the location, with the clubhouse leader being the suggestion that it would be a Chemist Warehouse. However, the shop then lay dormant until this week’s activity, which is sure to pique the interest of local residents yet again. High on The Watsonia Bugle’s wishlist is a nice little curry house, a wine bar and/or a gourmet burger joint. But regardless of what happens, you can be sure we’ll be keeping a close eye on proceedings. In breaking news, Councillor Mark Di Pasquale has officially placed the Watsy Wine Bar concept on the agenda. Di Pasquale took the heroic step last night during Banyule’s live-streamed Ordinary Council Meeting, which explains the collective cheer that many local residents heard ringing out across both the Watsonia and Watsonia North areas at the same time. Watsonia’s ongoing mission to establish a cosy little wine bar in its CBD has been well-documented, and local wine enthusiasts are getting excited about this latest council-sanctioned push. The possibility of the long-awaited wine bar was tabled in last night’s meeting when an application for a new bottle shop on the site of the old newsagency was rejected. Coincidentally, we’d already reported on a bold planning proposal that was submitted to council early last year to build an oversized wine cask on Watsonia Road. Code-named the “Watsy Wine Cask”, the monument was expected to serve the dual purpose of tourist attraction and community hub. Now that the bottle shop proposal has been road-blocked, is it time for the “Watsy Wine Cask” to be revisited? We think so. The people of Watsonia have moved quickly to anoint Mark Di Pasquale as the patron saint of Watsonia wine drinkers, following his brief mention in a recent council meeting of a wine bar opening in our suburb’s bustling CBD. Believing this their strongest chance yet to finally get a wine bar approved on Watsonia Road, local residents have championed Di Pasquale, with some now simply referring to him as “Saint Mark of the Winos”. Despite Di Pasquale being seemingly unaware of his new status amongst the local community, the people of Watsonia have been quick to catch on. Speaking exclusively to The Watsonia Bugle, local wine enthusiast Lisa McManus said, “It’s about time one of the powers that be got on board with this campaign. It’s what the people want. And it’s what the people deserve. If Saint Mark gets this over the line, he’ll be a hero for life in Watsonia. Forget the giant dim sim, we’ll build a statue of him standing triumphant on Watsonia Road with a raised glass of sauvignon blanc in his beautiful hand. Seriously.” While the next step of this ongoing crusade seems unclear at the moment, McManus was quick to suggest this recent blessing was a sign of good things to come. She said, “Let’s face it, we’ve had a pretty rough 12 months, and all those promises that 2021 would be better than 2020 have so far proven false. But this could be it. This could be the phoenix that rises from the ashes. We need to pull something positive from the shit storm. Bless you Saint Mark. You are the hero that we both want AND deserve.” A local wine drinking enthusiast claims she’s given up on Watsonia’s fruitless campaign to open a wine bar, and is instead moving to nearby Greensborough due to their successful opening of such a venue. Veronica Nelson says she made the difficult decision last month after years of waiting for Watsonia to get its act together. Speaking exclusively to The Watsonia Bugle, Nelson said, “It wasn’t an easy decision by any stretch, I mean, Watsy is great, and I love it, but wine is my true love. So, it’s with a heavy heart that I’ve put my Watsonia house on the market and am currently looking for new properties in Greensy. It’s the only solution.” When asked why she didn’t just walk across to Greensborough when the wine called her, or caught an Uber, Nelson made her response very clear. She said, “Yeah, thanks champ, I’m aware of Ubers and taxis, but the ultimate dream is being able to walk to and from the venue. And that means it needs to be a casual stroll from home, not a pavement-pounding hike. I want to be able to either walk home from there with my heels still on, or bare feet if it’s been a long session. And I’m not walking from Greensy to Watsy bare feet. I’m not completely mad. So, now I have to make the ultimate sacrifice and move from my beloved Watsonia. It’s sad, but I’ve waited long enough.” Watsonia’s seemingly unquenchable thirst for a wine bar has resulted in yet another possible venue being floated on social media this week. The old dry cleaners on the corner of Watsonia Road and Lambourn Road, which has been empty for quite a while now, is the latest prospective location for the licensed venue, which received in-principle council approval from Councillor Mark Di Pasquale earlier this year. Situated on the very fringe of Watsonia’s CBD, the building has great potential for a wine bar, especially with its close proximity to our suburb’s thriving food scene, and its sweeping views over the Dandenong Ranges. And with its former use as both a dry cleaners and the local butcher, the site has great naming potential, with early front-runners including “The Meating Place”, “Off the Hook”, and “Let’s Get Shirtfaced”. Meanwhile, impatient local wine enthusiasts say they’d accept a venue opening up just about anywhere after years of waiting for somewhere in Watsonia to grapple with the grape. One anonymous drinker said, “Remember when youse wrote that article about a wine bar opening on that roundabout just out of the CBD? I legit would’ve drunk at that place. The couch looked comfy, and the people-watching opportunities would’ve been mint as. Seriously, I’d take anywhere right now. Build it and they will come!” An enduring, collective cry of “Woooo!”has been ringing out over the Watsonia region since early yesterday afternoon when news leaked over a wine bar finally opening in our suburb. The whisper, which hit a local community page on Facebook, claims a long-awaited wine bar will open at the location of the old dry cleaners on Watsonia Road. The post enjoyed impressive engagement, as thirsty residents of Watsonia rushed to share the good news with their friends. If the comments section is anything to go by, the new venue will receive heavy patronage, with some locals even suggestion they’d purchase a membership. Long-time readers of The Watsonia Bugle would be more than familiar with the suburb’s quest to obtain a wine bar, with the issue first reported by us back in 2018, with countless possible venues reported on since. In fact, back in May last year, we ambitiously hoped the old dry cleaners would be the next potential location, and it seems like our dreams are about to come true. Wooooo!