Popular Bunbury store sees no choice but to close the doors after 10 years due to ongoing roadwork

The owner of a popular Bunbury garden store has found himself with no choice but to close his business after 10 years. Jakkals on Estuary has been a staple for Bunbury for years, being the place to go for anything rustic, quirky or unique, but owner Tony Davies said he had no choice but to close the store on May 5. Mr Davies and his wife Belinda took over Jakkals 10 years ago and in that time have built the store into one of Bunbury’s most unique locations. However, due to constant road work on Estuary Drive, Mr Davies said he had made the difficult decision to close the business. Currently the road is being impacted by Southern Ports redevelopment of the Port of Bunbury. The project intends to increase trade activity to the inner harbour by adding a new road and bridge between Turkey Point and Vittoria Bay. Completion of the project is excepted by June 31, 2025, which for Mr Davies means he cannot afford to run his business. He said he had not been told if the road would be closed fully or half closed during the roadworks. “If it’s half shut, it kills me, I only do a quarter of the business,” Mr Davies said. “If they do shut the road for a month, or two months, what am I going to do, because I’ll have no income.” With the uncertainty, Mr Davies announced last week the store would be closing for good. He said the support he had received on social media after the announcement had been uplifting. With more than 3500 followers on Facebook, many were quick to express their sadness with the business closing. Customer Sari Page said she was deeply saddened to see Jakkals closing. “You’re just so welcom(ing) all the time, and there’s always different things to see here, not like going to K-mart,” she said. She said the rustic older merchandise reminded her of her childhood and the store, for her, was full of beautiful memories. The store will close early next month with everything in the store now 25 per cent off. Mr Davies said “there is no point hanging around” and that the couple “just need to get it done”. The City of Bunbury was contacted for comment.