Since February 28, 2022, Lismore businesses have been reopening consistently. The last Lismore City Council data said the CBD was at 70% occupancy back in August "with more in the pipeline".

Heaps Discount and Casphone are two new businesses part of that pipeline. Both have opened in or near Lismore Square in the last two weeks proving that business investment in our city is alive and well.

Heaps Discount is beside Pet Barn near the Square.

It is a discount store with a brand range of goods such as gifts, kitchen items, garden and office, a lot of pet items and an extensive craft range. The store is gearing up for Christmas with plenty of lights and decorations in stock. Heaps discount hope to become a handy stop-off shop for all the bits and bobs you might need, or didn’t know you needed.

Amrit, owner of Heaps Discount, said “The Lismore economy is bouncing back. We can grow here and we can serve the community too, by providing more variety and options. People are definitely looking for bargains, and we have a good variety of stock, all with bargain prices.”

Casphone, by the food court inside Lismore Square also opened.

They are selling quality accessories for iPhones, Samsung and other brands of phones, with a huge range of goods from heavy-duty to fun and bright. They offer professional phone and laptop repairs, from LCD screens to battery replacement and are an Apple Certified Technician, approved to order genuine Apple parts. They also sell refurbished phones and tablets if you can't afford to buy a new device.

Marcela Marraccini, manager at Casphone, said that Casphone started 10 years ago in Queensland and has recently opened in Coffs Harbour and now Lismore.

“What sets Casphone apart is that we are not only providing IT repairs on phones and tablets. We can also fix computers, laptops, any sort of electronic devices,” Marcella explained. “We can do micro-soldering and more complex jobs on motherboards for example. We hope to be able to serve everyone, with any sort of IT issues they might be experiencing.”

Every new shop that opens helps to stimulate our economy, providing people with more retail and service options within town, and presenting additional job opportunities for locals.