While Melinda flips lunchtime burgers and serves up lollies and drinks, partner Russell sorts out the parcels and the stamps.
“It's a bit hard to recognise the locals because of the masks, but we're getting there,” Russell said.
Despite the pandemic, Melinda and Russell took the plunge and bought the business from Karen and Don Freeman who ran the store for nine years before retiring at the end of August.
The new owners are from Meeniyan, near Leongatha in South Gippsland, where Melinda worked for Woolworths in customer service, and Russell sold steel products for an engineering company.
“We needed a change, we were looking for something for ourselves,” Melinda said.
Both are building on family backgrounds in small business. Russell said his parents ran a milk bar in Traralgon, while Melinda said she worked in the Wilsons Prom Cafe as a teenager.
When they saw the Dookie store advertised for sale - despite the pandemic, they jumped.
“It is a concern. But we both come from small towns and we thought this can't last forever,” Melinda said.
Russell said his biggest challenge so far had been sorting the daily district mail run.
“I'm still getting to know the names of the roads,” he said.
“And there's a lot of people with same name - Shields, Feldtmann, Sutherland, Ryan,” Melinda said.
A big footy fan and a mad Tigers man, Russell said he couldn't wait to get involved in local footy and community groups.
“Just to walk up the street on a Saturday morning and say hello to people you know - it's going to be great,” he said.
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