AN old cash register from the former Boans Department Store in Perth that sits at the entry of the new The Boulevard IGA was worth the wait, according to owner James Kelly.
Mr Kelly said it took 18 months for the owner of the register to accept his offer but it was definitely a talking point for customers.
It is also a point of difference between The Boulevard and Mr Kelly’s other 24-hour IGAs at Taylor Road and 2nd Avenue.
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READ NOWWhile the new 1000sq m shop was modelled on Taylor Road, effort was made to include fresh concepts.
Mr Kelly said he spent hours in Taylor Road with Evan Reeves from Design Theory to get the right measurements, lighting and feel for The Boulevard.
“The brief for The Boulevard was ‘fresh market’,” he said.
“It’s got to be something people talk about so if we can give them that ‘wow’ factor they go away and talk about it.”
Mr Kelly said they also wanted to create a ‘five senses in five seconds’ experience for shoppers.
The Boulevard has a fresh juice bar open from 7am-7pm and a $50,000 tortilla machine that was imported from the US.
Mr Kelly said the tortillas were made fresh every day and they were already struggling to keep up with demand.
“We want to develop more recipes and gluten free tortillas,” he said.
The Boulevard opened just over a month ago and adds to the offering at the Boulevard Shopping Centre, City Beach that was rebuilt after fire destroyed more than two years ago.
“There’s a fantastic vibe around here, it’s a real neighbourhood centre,” Mr Kelly said.