Geoff Dickinson owns Regency Dry Cleaners with his wife and children, which is located on the same block as the sites of both incidents.
He said that although they have a positive outlook, they definitely felt affected.
Regency Dry Cleaners was undamaged, but the shop front did have some smoke in the air and there was a temporary downturn in customers.
“It took a few days for people to realise we were still here,” Mr Dickinson said.
He said that other business owners on the same strip he has spoken to feel intimidated.
The impact of these fires is yet another challenge that business owners in Mooroopna like the Dickinson family have had to face in recent years on top of COVID, flooding and now higher petrol prices.
Other dry cleaners in the region have gone out of business due to these issues, but Regency Dry Cleaners has adapted.
“Business owners just need to be smarter with money these days, and issues like this don’t help,” Mr Dickinson said.
In March, Greater Shepparton City Council carried a motion to begin consultation with Victoria police to assess the feasibility of installing mobile CCTV cameras in Mooroopna.
Mr Dickinson is doubtful about this increase in surveillance and said the cameras already there didn’t help.
The first incident on Tuesday, February 3, was captured on camera, but no arrests have been made.
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