Retail presence on our shopping strips requires fortitude, strength and an inbuilt desire to always please the customer. Returning customers are the lifeblood of any business and satisfying their needs builds the strength of a business.
The story of these three Greythorn Central businesses is a testament to all of the above qualities.
This year, three Greythorn Central businesses celebrate 25 years of serving their shoppers and surviving the ebbs and flows of the retail trade.
Optometrist Boroondara Eye Care, printing shop Top Digital Colour and op shop Yours Now Mine have been serving customers and meeting their needs from the same location at Greythorn for a quarter of a century.
Check out their stories, their journey, the highs and lows and what they love about the service they provide to their customers. The common thread among them all is their love of their customers and serving their needs.


Boroondara Eye Care
The vision of a much-loved Greythorn Central business is testament that providing good service and caring about your patients goes a long way to keeping you in business for 25 years.
Boroondara Eye Care continues to service three generations of families across the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Optometrist Paula Monaco founded Boroondara Eye Care at 264 Doncaster Road, on the corner of Harrington Avenue, in July 1999 with a vision (no pun intended) to offer optometry services to the Balwyn North community, which at the time did not have an optometrist in the area.
Paula Monaco says, “I love working in a community-based shopping strip as I get to become part of the daily lives of many of our local residents and my patients have become very loyal.
“My first job was at the Victorian College of Optometry (now Australian College) where I taught students as well as consulted at a few of their community clinics, including clinics for people with low vision.
“That time taught me that it was imperative to have the latest technology in equipment and to keep up to date with changes in lenses and contact lenses. This allows us to offer the best options to our patients, but also makes work enjoyable and diverse as we are always challenged.”
The years have gone quickly for Paula Monaco. She fondly remembers first meeting some of her patients when they were in strollers and now they are working or studying adults and she continues to be an integral part of their vision care. At the same time, the circle of life has sadly seen some patients pass away.
“I am privileged. I have the joy of working with the generations of families and being in their lives.
“We try to encourage and promote good eye health, catering for individual needs and do our best in providing outstanding service. We encourage routine eye checks as there are many eye conditions that can only be detected with a thorough eye examination. Continuing education for myself and my staff is important in keeping abreast of what’s new and available,” Paula says.
Furthermore, Paula Monaco has been an integral participant of the Greythorn Traders Association, holding positions of chairman, treasurer and committee member. She has been pivotal in advancing the feel and style of Greythorn Central and the many services it offers shoppers.


Top Digital Colour
At Top Digital Colour there’s more than colourful printing of brochures, newsletters and other printing requirements on offer, there is also a colourful story about Scott and Ingrid Huang who have been operating the printing shop at 1A Sylvander Street, Balwyn North since 1 November 1999.
The couple are geologists and worked for BHP before they decided to set up in retail.
They first had a post office in Camberwell East for 2 years and noted there was a printing shop nearby that looked interesting. They looked for a suitable location to set up their own printing shop and found the premises at 1A Sylvander Street. It previously was a TAB that then merged with the Balwyn TAB.
After setting up shop at Greythorn Central they realized there was another printer at Greythorn – Metro Plot in an old building behind where Dunyazad stands today. The business, was sold, but ultimately the site was redeveloped into what today is the Greythorn Community Hub precinct.
Scott Huang says he has seen a lot of businesses come and go over the years at Greythorn and the neighbourhood has changed as well.
“It’s incredible though that while businesses have come and gone we hardly have any vacancies at Greythorn.
“What we love about our business is the customers we serve. We have great and loyal customers,” Scott Huang says.
One time he’d rather forget in his 25 years were the COVID years.
“We were an essential service and were able to open the shop and provide our services according to the government regulations. We were very fortunate the government helped at the time and we never caught COVID.”


Yours Now Mine Op Shop
The Yours Now Mine Op Shop opened its doors on 24 May 1999 at its current location at 321 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North.
The Op Shop raises money for San Carlo Home for the Aged at South Morang. Money raised and given to San Carlo’s homes for the aged is used to buy items of need for the residents, such as special beds, televisions, monitors, lifting machines, and other special needs that are required by the nursing home for the comfort of the residents.
Many wonderful people in the area generously donate their unwanted goods to the Op shop for reselling. Volunteers are kept busy sorting and pricing the goods and keeping the shop and surrounds inviting and interesting to shoppers.
Many of the shop’s customers and local residents have befriended many of the volunteers at the shop.