LOYAL locals and the return of football crowds are proving a winner for Rokeby Road’s Funtastico.
Owner Nicky Tangney said she had seen a comeback in confidence in the area.
“One of my clients today, she said ‘there’s life in Rokeby Road’,” Ms Tangney said.
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Ms Tangney said while there had been a dip in customers after the football shifted to Optus Stadium, regulars were still stopping by for their pre- and post-game visit.
A free evening and weekend parking initiative from the City of Subiaco prompted Ms Tangney to encourage punters to catch the train to the stadium from Subiaco, offering a 10 per cent discount to ticketholders.
“If you can park free, why not catch the train from here?” Ms Tangney said.
She said the impact of the parking move had made a big difference to her customers’ experiences.
“A lot of our customers before were getting up during their meal to put money in the meter,” Ms Tangney said.
“It’s not just hospitality that’s benefiting, there’s also the hairdressers across the road and retail.”
Mayor Penny Taylor said the City had received a lot of positive feedback on the change.
“I love seeing initiatives work. This was done to support our business community and to get feedback that it’s contributing to success is wonderful,” she said.
“Unfortunately in local government we don’t have a lot of levers to pull, but we knew this was something we could do.”
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