“It needed to be tidied up and we wanted to make Hunterville better.”
A total of 78 local investors joined together, governed by five shareholder-elected directors: James Hurley, Hayden Gould, Hamish Cavanagh, Fi Dalgety and Philippa Williams.
The group bought the building on August 1 last year.
The building underwent 12 months of refurbishments with the goal of creating a new space to serve the modern needs of the community.
“We totally gutted it and rebuilt the inside,” Cavanagh said.
“We saw an opportunity to not just restore a beloved local pub, but to create something that serves multiple needs for our community – a place to eat, drink, shop and get together.”
The newly refurbished building includes a cafe, bar and restaurant along with three other businesses – Wool & Comb hairdressers, Salt & Honey boutique clothing store and Hunterville Village Gifts, a gift and bookshop which celebrates the local culture.
“Every decision we made during the renovation was guided by one question: what does Hunterville need?” project manager Bex Henderson said.
“We wanted to create jobs, support local businesses and give people more reasons to stay and spend time in our town.”
The new space opened its doors on October 10.
It was met with support from across the Hunterville community, along with “lots of out-of-towners”, Cavanagh said.
“It’s been amazing.”
Cavanagh said none of it would have been possible without the support from the many investors and his fellow directors.
They hope the venue will host community events which will expand and shift, based on feedback from the community.
The venue was already booked for several holiday parties for local groups later this year, Cavanagh said.
“This is just the beginning,” he said.
“We’re here for the long haul and we’re committed to making the Argyle a cornerstone of Hunterville for years to come.”
