MILESTONE: Graeme Eyres is the fourth generation to head the family hardware store which is celebrating 150 years of trading in Ballarat.
A FAMILY hardware store with a rich history dating back to the goldfields era is celebrating 150 years of business in Ballarat.
Eyres Brothers hardware store was established in Main Rd in 1855 by Thomas and William Eyres, the sons of an English ironmonger who arrived in a Australia after a five month journey in 1853.
The store is now run by Graeme Eyres, who took over following the death of his father Norval in 1971.
Now 69, Mr Eyres is the fourth generation to head up the family store, where he has worked since 1953.
"I might be the last Eyre to run it, though, unless my son wants to, but he has never expressed any desire to run it," Mr Eyres said.
"I think he can make more money doing other things which is probably true," Mr Eyres laughed.
Thomas and William Eyres were only young men when they arrived in Victoria.
They decided to seek their fortunes on the Ballarat goldfields, following the discovery of the great Canadian nugget, and purchased an old horse and cart to begin their journey west.
After months of little success on the goldfields, William Eyres moved to Geelong to gain Australian experience in the hardware industry.
Early in March 1855, the two brothers and a companion, Edward Newman, put their earnings together and opened the business of Eyres Brothers and Newman in Main Rd.
Graeme Eyres still has the original books, which showed that the three young businessmen made an initial outlay of 91 pounds to buy stock for the store.
Among the items purchased were three dozen spades, which they picked up at the cost price of 14 shillings per dozen, along with tacks, ropes, nails, handsaws and crowbars, items that are still sold today.
The first entry in the book was made on February 28, 1855, but most of the early entries come from mid-March.
"They did very well in the early days because there was such a boom. It would have been more a matter of getting the supplies," Mr Eyres said.
William Eyres became the sole proprietor in 1879 after Thomas retired and moved to Adelaide. He had a family of 12 children, including three sons who were all associated with the business.
Now operating out of Bridge Mall, the store's history is detailed in many old documents, which Graeme Eyres has stored in a safe.
A history of the business was also prepared by Graeme's brother David and published for its centenary in 1955.
Many of those old documents will be displayed in the store's window this month to commemorate the 150th anniversary celebrations.
"You don't see many old family businesses like this anymore. We're certainly a dying breed," Mr Eyres said.
