Why Watton

Salon Vogue
45 Watton Street, Werribee

“I'm born and bred in Werribee so this is my home town! There is no better place to share my passion.

The Werribee community feels like one big home. Everybody knows each other - it’s a place where we have all grown up together and watched each other grow. Creating, sharing, and being a part of Werribee’s history.

I see myself as a passionate and creative person, which I aim to reflect through the business. At Salon Vogue, we love educating our clients on the health and maintenance of their hair. We take pride in how our clients feel about themselves, leaving them with a Salon Vogue experience.

I established Salon Vogue in February 1994, starting on Duncans for 13 years and then moving premises to14 Watton Street in 2007 where we are still located. Having a central salon makes it easier for our clients and we love supporting other local businesses in Watton Street. I’m very proud to say that the loyalty of our clients is overwhelming. Many of our clients are like family to us now.”

Pino

Young Habbitt Barbers
64 Watton Street, Werribee

“We chose Watton Street because it felt real and authentic. The street has a touch of old-school charm, which resonated with us. We love the traditional craft and styles of barbering, and Watton Street seemed like the perfect place to embrace that. We wanted to create a space where people could step back in time, experience the art of classic barbering, and feel a connection to its rich history.

Being part of this community is amazing because everyone knows each other and supports one another. It feels like we're all one big family. People remember you, and there's a genuine warmth and willingness to help. It's heartwarming to see the strong bonds that have formed among residents and business owners. We're incredibly grateful for the support we receive. It means a lot to us that people choose our shop and recommend us to their friends. We feel like we belong here and take pride in contributing to the community's lively atmosphere.”

Yahya

Chatterbox Café
63 Watton Street, Werribee

“I’ve been in hospitality since a young age, Werribee is an area I grew up in and I wanted to open up a business here. We’ve been here 17 years and I’ve never looked back. I love the loyalty of the customers and the friendships you make along the way. Every day is different, that’s what is unique about hospitality. We know our customer’s on first name basis and know their coffee orders.

One of the highlights has been watching other businesses come to the area.  The more cafes and restaurants, the busier everyone gets and that’s what we always aim to achieve in the main street.”

Sal

Master Dry Cleaners Werribee
25 Watton Street, Werribee

“Our business was started by my grandparents in 1948 – Neville and Valda Hudson. We have a very strong connection to this community dated back all those years – Neville was elected as Shire president and represented the area in the state parliament. Many will remember Vals Art Gallery and Haberdashery shop at Chirnside Park end of Watton St.

It’s the people that make the community. Many families have been in the area for generations, and continue to stay in the area, including our family, and have deep connections. I cant walk down Watton St without bumping into someone who knows my parents or our family. Still to this day, people will come into the store and talk about Neville and Val and how they helped each other in the community.

The resurgence of the Watton St over the past 5 years something the community should be proud of. Businesses have and are looking to invest in our community and the community has responded by supporting these businesses. There has never been a better time to live in this community with the amount of opportunities for small business and employment opportunities that are around.”

David Hudson

Tonia T Boutique
16 Watton St, Werribee

“My mum opened her first boutique when I was just 3 years old and she was so good at it that she ended up with 4 stores!  I used to love ‘helping’ her, going with her to Flinders Lane back in the day when she went buying.

I tried going down the path of other careers but kept getting drawn back to retail, because it became very clear that this is 100% where I’m meant to be.

I opened Tonia T Boutique in Watton St in 2006. At the time I lived in Werribee and just couldn’t find the style and quality of clothing I desired, so one day I thought ‘Why not have a go at doing it myself?’ I felt Watton Street warranted a clothing boutique that would offer unique, quality products. I sourced the perfect store in the town, and the rest, as they say, is history! That was nearly 17 years ago and I have never looked back. The business has grown from strength to strength, becoming a very well respected part of the Werribee business landscape.”

Tonia

Casa Cantina
1/70 Watton St, Werribee

“It was a no-brainer for Casa Cantina to be on Watton street watching it becoming a dining / entertainment mecca for the West of Melbourne after years of working at other businesses on the street. It currently has a great clientele, range of options and offers a great night out for punters.

I love how loyal patrons can be and their love for someone else's business. If you give someone a good

experience they will always come back but even more beneficial will also always tell friends, work colleagues and family. A good product or service spreads like wildfire in Werribee.

I am even more excited to see how the city centre develops over the next 5 years.”

Mark (Bubby)

The Social Sutra
1/169 Watton Street, Werribee

“My wife and I have always worked in hospitality and we were inspired to open Social Sutra back in 2016 as we had a nice feeling about the country and city style of life. But over the years we have seen a dramatic increase in population and also the popularity of which Werribee has gained. It is quite impressive and the ongoing efforts by Council to make this town even more popular by organising regular events which stands us out in the whole of Victoria.”

We have seen up and downs especially during covid we were really worried about the business but community has supported us during those difficult times and by the gods grace and community help we survived and we can’t thank our customers and community enough for supporting us during that time.”

Abhishek

The Park Werribee
12 Watton Street, Werribee

“I say why not? The opportunity was there, the space was there, it was part of a community I grew up in.  It was also at the time the fastest growing corridor in Victoria if not Australia. So as business it was tick, tick, tick, tick. There was a lot of opportunities. The other thing that drew me to it was it was a blank canvas, which I talk about all the time and we get to choose the direction we want to go in.

And the community are fantastic.  The one thing about Werribee and the community in general, is that we are a large population but a small community, everyone still knows everyone, everyone knows someone who knows someone and people are just down to earth.”

Nick

Pulao Place
3/102 -104 Watton St, Werribee

“The main thing we did was our research as being hospitality students, we knew to research the crowds coming to new areas and what was on offer in those areas. We saw there wasn’t much competition for our offering but a big audience for it. When we saw this place available we grabbed the opportunity.  It was during Covid, and we started only with takeaway but it was a great time to start and share our passion of cooking. We specialise in only South Indian and many people have discovered us during Council events, discovering our special dishes and returning with their friends.”

Dinesh

Old Habits CBW
7/70 Watton St, Werribee

“Old Habits was founded on the most basic of principles that anybody, from anywhere, can come enjoy a drink and have a chat. Having lived in the Werribee area for almost 30 years Andrew, one of our directors, believed that Watton Street was the best place where we could share this concept with our greater community. 

We love being a part of the Watton Street and greater werribee community. The friendly support we have received from all patrons whether they have come in once or multiple times has been great. The way this community has a focus on supporting all local small business is a key aspect to this community and something that will grow and carry all small businesses into the future.”  

Andrew and Samantha

Sesto Shoex
87 Watton St, Werribee

“Working in his own family shoe store in Italy, Dad (Tony Sesto) opened his own family shoe store on Watton Street in 1978 in the Beasley Arcade. 

Marrying the daughter of Josie from Francine’s Shoe Boutique, it only seemed like the right choice to open an extension of that shoe store for his own family and Sesto Shoes was born in the small country town of Werribee. 

Later in 1981, the business grew out of that small shop and Dad moved to a bigger shop on Watton street, number 16.

Werribee was growing, Watton Street was growing, our family was growing and so was our shoe stop. In 1989 dad moved to our current location 87 Watton Street and changed its name to Sesto Shoex but will forever be known as Sesto’s to the locals.

It is here that we as children grew up, from a very young age Dad had us all working in the family business, and we soon learnt why Watton street was the perfect location for our family shoe shop. The local support and a family orientated community was what we love and still love about Watton Street, 45 years later.”

Renee, Mark and Paul

Christian and Roy
26 Watton Street, Werribee

“When we decided to open Christian and Roy there was never any doubt that Watton Street would be the perfect location for our new store. Our family has had a long-standing association with retail on Watton Street, going back as far as 50 years ago when our grandmother opened a ladies shoe boutique. Along with a women’s clothing store and family shoe store (Shoex which is still in operation) we wanted to continue our family tradition of retail on Watton Street.

Growing up as children in Werribee we have fond memories of regularly visiting the local toy store, Doves. Watton Street has been without a toy store for many years and with young children of our own we wanted to bring the nostalgia and magic of a local toy shop back onto Watton street.”

Renee and Danielle

Sister Story Boutique
48 Watton St, Werribee

“Growing up in Wyndham, we always supported local boutiques, and over the years, they had dwindled in numbers. We had an opportunity to do something we LOVE in fashion and something that we felt was missing in Watton Street, an affordable option for women, in particular mums. 

We are boutique shoppers from way-back, and have the receipts (and wardrobe) to prove it. As we started our own families, and life began to change, so did our wardrobes. We discovered it was more difficult to find affordable, comfortable, flattering, wear-anywhere pieces that took us from soccer mum to soirée in a flash. So, being the go-getter types that we are, we decided to do something about it.

There are so many things we love about being a part of this community. We have amazing support, we have made some genuine connections with lots of our customers and the support we have from the Werribee City Centre is incredible. Although Wyndham has grown quickly, that small-town support will never fade.”

Dan and Nat

Ages Pizza Place
102 Watton St, Werribee

“Our father, John, is the inspiration behind Age's. Having worked for other local Pizza's shops from a young age, I wanted to have my own, and my dad was the one who encouraged this huge leap. My father was a large part of the Werribee community all throughout my childhood and he had formed many friendships with various local families, which ultimately led to the beginning of Age's Pizza, a place where families come together to share traditional Italian meals, whilst sharing stories and their love of the local community.

I know my Dad was incredibly proud of what we created, and even though he is no longer with us in person, we celebrate him every day at Age's.

Being born and bred in Werribee, I have seen many businesses come and go. The community spirit is why I love Werribee. I have had customers that have been coming to get their meals for 22 years, all of which I know on a first-name basis, which is something I think is unique about this area.”

Adrian

Hodges Real Estate
1/1 Watton St, Werribee

“We were inspired to start our business on Watton Street being for the easy access, fantastic location, and the street appeal that our main street has to offer. We are very fortunate to also be able to overlook Kelly Park whilst working from our office, this gives us a different office vibe. We are also fortunate enough to see the gorgeous deciduous trees welcoming the changing seasons.

We can simply take a short stroll at lunch time down to the many local cafes, call in for a glass of wine at a local bar on the way home from work, or simply walk across the road to one of our local supermarkets and collect some dinner and treats for the family after work.”

Melanie and Tony

The Little Deli and Panini Bar
61 Watton Street, Werribee

“Being Italian, Werribee locals we could see at the time there was a niche in the market for some simple Italian panini and could see the potential that Watton Street had with the growth over the years.

Since opening our shop, Watton street has changed again, with the addition of some great new restaurants and other small business. Getting to know the owners of these businesses and the support has been fantastic.

“Being a small shop, we are able to connect with every customer that comes through the door and the support of our regulars has been amazing. We love our daily chats.”

Alana