The doors to Silly Solly’s on Keen Street are still closed, but inside, the staff are unpacking crates and boxes and frantically trying to get over 10,000 lines of stock on the shelves.

If you’ve been watching the exterior transformation of the old blue Blockbuster video shop building into a new red Silly Solly’s discount store and wondering when it’s going to open, the answer is within the next two weeks.

The shop’s owner Adrian Serafin said it’s a big job getting the huge space decked out with shelving and he’s still waiting for more than 10 pallets of stock to arrive. 

“That’s what is holding us up now,” he said. “It’s possible we can open in 10 to 15 days, but it’s not definite yet. The stock hasn’t left the wholesaler’s warehouse in Sydney yet.

“We will definitely be open by the end of the month - we were aiming for March 18^, but it may be the following week.

“We’re also waiting for some of the shop fittings to arrive, then we have to put it all together.

“When you open a new business, there’s always some delays – you don’t go into it expecting it all to be smooth.

“I’ll be happy to get it all set up and open and begin trading.”

Adrian said he has employed ten local staff to keep the shop trading seven days a week – selling goods that are all priced at $5 or under.

“We are opening stuff every day and I’m surprised at what there is for the price of it,” he said “I post them online on the Silly Solly’s Lismore Facebook page so people can see the products.

“There’s a lot of different variety lines – everything from rock t-shirts to 100% cotton work shirts and socks, to the usual variety lines, food and cleaning stuff.

“We might even have a TV advertising campaign to give people notice of the opening day.”

Read more about the new shop opening.