Lifeline Lismore is set to open a second op-shop store next door to their current pace on Magellan Street.

Tradesmen have been fixing the old Premier Art & Framing building for the past few months, which has been a long-established business for Maria Crethar and her sons.

The new premises will offer second-hand furniture, white goods, books and bric-a-brac while the existing store will continue to stock clothing.

The store is set to open at the end of October, so we won’t have to wait long. This is a welcome addition as residents continue to refurnish their homes and replace goods following the Feb 22 flood.

Lifeline also recently re-opened its crisis support centre on Conway Street, after working from a temporary caravan space since the flood.

It continues to provide invaluable support to our community, especially through the time of crisis that we have faced in the last eighteen months. Each year, over 1 million Aussies reach out to Lifeline for support (it receives a call every 30 seconds).

Another local business that is set to open soon is the Norco Ice Cream factory.

The Lismore App has been in contact with Norco's media unit, with no details released as we write. All we can go off is the sign that is outside of the factory that did say 'Back 25 September'. However, that was blank on Friday so maybe there have been delays.

Norco's ice cream factory is one of Lismore's largest employers, with around 240 workers.

It was not known if the cream factory would be rebuilt following the big flood on February 28 that caused over $100 million in damages. However, a $34.7 million grant from the Federal and NSW State Government’s Anchor Business Support Program, and an $11 million grant that remained outstanding from the 2019 Regional Growth Fund (RGF); a program that was delayed due to COVID-19 and then paused following the floods, helped make the rebuild possible.

Norco’s co-contribution was said to be over $59 million (under the Anchor Business Support Grant guidelines), an investment that the 100% farmer-owned co-operative said was important to make in order to safeguard the factory’s future for its workforce, and to keep supporting the broader Lismore community.  

That support is set to start very soon, if it isn't this Monday, September 25.