Ghost town- Knot Just Wooden Toys owner Henny Blair says Garfield has become a ghost town. 31

By Melissa Grant
GARFIELD is dead, a ghost town with empty shops and streets – and locals are calling for something to be done to put the township back on the map.
They say the railway-side town has plenty of potential, but poor signage means that few people know it even exists.
Gift shops, a real estate agency, a florist and a pizza shop are among the businesses that have vacated Garfield in recent times, and yet another is about to close.
Knot Just Wooden Toys owner Henny Blair, who set-up shop in Garfield with her late husband, Max, four years ago, is selling-up because she has had enough of waiting for customers who never arrive.
“There is just nothing, it’s a ghost town. All we need is Casper walking up and down the street,” she said.
“A town cannot just rely on its local loyal customers – there’s nothing to say there is a town here.
“It’s depressing. You can only take so much.”
Mrs Blair said she was determined to go out with a bang, and has renewed calls for the Cardinia Shire Council to erect signage on the highway directing motorists to Garfield.
“Our main beef is there is nothing on the highway,” she said.
“It’s the perfect stop-over before the bypass. It could’ve been a little Yarragon.”
Margaret Goodie, who has owned a property in Garfield for the last 20 years, also feared for the town’s future if nothing was done.
“There’s no signs saying welcome to Garfield,” she said.
“Nothing’s bright or tarted up … it’s depressing.
“You could get a bowling ball and bowl it down the street and you wouldn’t hit anybody.”
Cardinia Shire mayor Bill Pearson agreed that Garfield needed to be brought back to life.
“The problem is that Garfield has some lovely little gift shops, but what they desperately need is something like a food mart,” he said.
“They have some pluses – a nice bakery, a really good butcher, good hotel, good post office … those businesses would attract people and people need to know they’re there.
“What we need now is some nice big signage on the Princes Highway.”
Cr Pearson said he was happy to meet with Garfield business owners and residents to discuss their concerns. Mrs Blair said good ‘Garfield’ signage was the first step to the township’s revival, hoping it would spark commercial interest.
“It would be nice to have signs on the highway to let people know we are here,” she said.
“There should be a big sign near Gumbuya Park saying Garfield next right.
“My dream for Garfield would be to have a bit of supermarket or general store and an eatery or cake place… somewhere where people would want to stay.”