There are two store grand openings are happening this Saturday, after what seems to be a rush of new business in Lismore over the last two to three weeks. It is an exciting and positive sign for the post COVID recovery.

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NPC Amusements in East Lismore and Stepz Fitness in Lismore Central have both had soft launches recently but have held off their official launches until tomorrow (Saturday September 5).

NPC Amusements moved from Ballina Road to 16 Rifle Range Road, East Lismore in July to get out of the flood area and into a much larger warehouse that holds and displays all of their product items. The result means that they are now open to the public as a retail outlet as well as an on-line store.

Celebrations kick off at 9am and run until 4pm with a cars and motorbikes on display and food from Junkyard BBQ including Take Away Packs for Fathers Day. Owner Nick Contojohn said "if you have a nice car bring it along and park it in the driveway".

"We are not sure how many cars there will be," Nick added, "Car Clubs have said they will bring their cars along but we don't have an official count from all of the people involved".

There will be free pinball, fussball and a classic space invaders game for the kids or big kids at heart to play as well as quoits set up for some fun.

The warehouse is a very large area but with the COVID restrictions this means a maximum of 80 in the shop at any one time. You may have a short queue at various stages of the day and there will be hand sanitiser available.

Nick explained it is difficult to put pricing on all the shelves because it varies so much depending on the exchange rate so if you wish to get a price look for the Code Scanner above the item and hold your camera over the code. This will take you to the NPC website and give the current pricing of the products you want.

This is also your way to get 10% off your Fathers Day presents. When you use the scanner to check the price and you want to buy it, you can check out via the website by paying on-line. Once you have done that take your purchase to the front counter and show your receipt.

"It's all about making purchasing items a quicker process for everyone," Nick said.

Another way to save 10% is to buy on-line before you go into NPC Amusements and pick up your goods when you are checking out the store.

Stepz Fitness have been working hard finishing off their brand new gym on the ground floor of Lismore Central under the escalators.

It is worth getting up early on Saturday morning and heading into Stepz Fitness in Lismore Central. Stepz has FREE Group Fitness Classes between 7am and 9am with Stepz Hiit, Stepz Fit and Stepz Strong.

Manager Alyce Benson said there will also be a Kids Colouring Competition between 10am and 11am along with free prizes and giveaways.

"The rest of our equipment has arrived just in time for our grand opening which is fantastic so I want to invite everyone to come and have a look at our brand new gym with brand new equipment," Alyce said, "we are ready for action."

If you are looking for something to do Saturday as well as supporting two new local businesses, call into 16 Rifle Range Road, East Lismore and ground floor Lismore Central.