PREPARATION to make over Titto’s Store on Eleventh Street has started.
It will be the store’s most significant renovation in half a century and is expected to take six months to complete.
Owner Calum McKinnon said the project was a bit scary but exciting at the same time.
“We’re on one of the busiest roads in Mildura so this is just going to make it better and easier,” he said.
“There will be a little inconvenience but stick with us, it’ll be worth it in the end.”
Mr McKinnon and his wife Sheree bought the store in 2012 but it was not until 2017 that the couple were inspired to renovate.
“The old (fuel bowser) canopy got knocked out in April 2017 and that’s what started the chain reaction to get the store up to scratch and more user-friendly,” Mr McKinnon said.
The upgrades will be completed in two stages and include a new tank, new bowsers, definite entry and exit, formal parking, a new store frontage and new kitchen benches and floors inside the store.
New bowsers will mean an increase from two to eight in the number of people who can access fuel at one time.
Mr McKinnon said this week the fences went up and marking out started in preparation for the new service station and canopy.
“All of the bowsers are moving out to behind the fence, that’s stage one,” he said.
“Stage two will be pulling the old bowsers out once we’ve got the new bowsers up and running.”
Mr McKinnon said Titto’s Store would remain operational.
“There may be one or two weeks where we have to shut down for obvious reasons when we’re swapping tanks over,” he said.
“We’re hoping to minimise the shutdown and the inconvenience.”
