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. 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!