A new bargain shop where everything will cost $5 or under is coming to Lismore – and shop owner Adrian Serafin said it’s not crazy – it’s silly.

Adrian is opening a Silly Solly’s bargain shop in the former Blockbuster video shop on Keen Street, near Lismore Central.

It’s the first of its kind in our area, as the Silly Solly’s store brand is based mostly in Queensland.

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Why a Silly Solly’s?

Adrian said he has owned the Keen Street building for 15 years. After Blockbuster went out of business due to financial problems, and the 2017 floods, he’s found it hard to find a tenant who wants to lease out the big 100m2 space.

So, before he had even heard of Silly Solly’s, he started looking around at what he could bring into the empty shop.

“When I found Silly Solly’s, I was attracted to the idea of opening one because it’s not a franchise,” Adrian said. “They do have some good suppliers that I can draw on, but I’m not limited to selling just that and I can do what I want in the shop,” he said.

“The two criteria I do need to meet is that the product must be under $5 and be a licenced product, not a dodgy imitation.”

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Adrian already runs a pharmacy in West Ballina and so has some good buying power through the pharmacy suppliers and can get goods 20-40% cheaper than normal prices.

“That means I can bring cleaning products and brand lines you might find in supermarkets into the shop – everything from dishwashing liquid to bleach and disinfectants," he said.

“It will be like a Reject Shop plus a supermarket and I can also sell groceries and everything will be discounted compared to other variety shops. I am keen to support local suppliers too.”

Adrian said when you walk into Silly Solly’s, expect to see the latest special lines on display on palettes at the front of the shop, with rows of red racks and lots of other products behind.

“We’ll have stock on constant rotation every week and can expect 12 to15 palettes of stock delivered a week,” he said.

“I’m hoping it goes well. Other businesses in town have told me they are happy to see one less empty shop in Lismore, because it’s been a slow comeback with commercial tenants after the floods.”

Right now, Adrian is setting up the shop, installing counters and advertising for staff. His intention is to be open in six weeks’ time – by mid-March – as long as there are no hiccups.

Adrian has already appointed a store manager and will be conducting interviews for staff next week, intending to take on ten staff.

Adrian intends to open Silly Solly’s seven days a week at first and see if customers support the weekend trading hours.

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