A FAMILIAR face to the people of Griffith, Peter Dalla has been running his eponymous store on Banna Avenue's middle block since taking over in 1972.
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The local legend and iconic store owner has seen decades of change sweep through the MIA, taking over the family business from his now-late father and sitting front-row to some of the biggest changes the city has seen since that time.
"I've been here since I was 20, so probably too long," Mr Dalla laughed.
"At the moment my plan is retirement, I figure I've got nothing left to prove.
"I've got a great business, it's still profitable and we've never traded a loss since 1972, which says something."
Ron Dalla has been on the market for the past two years, with any prospective buyers yet to step forward.
The sale of the iconic store has seen some difficulty, especially with the recent global pandemic.
"We were closed for five weeks when everything hit," Mr Dalla explained.
"I said to my staff, we can't do anything and we can't go anywhere, so we may as well have a not yet closing down sale.
"We'll stay in until Christmas time because it doesn't look like anything will be happening until at least then.
"If nobody decides to take up the business, come the new year I'll start my plans for final clearance and retire."
Peter Dalla says he has throughly enjoyed his time in Griffith, returning here in 1972 after his father suffered a stroke and working within the business as Ron recuperated.
Shortly after his father's passing in 1984, Peter purchased a building in Banna Avenue's middle block, where the store still stands today.
But after more than eight decades as a family-owned business and Griffith institution, Peter Dalla has decided it's time to move on.
"Griffith has been good to us and I hope I've given back as much to the community as what they've given me," Mr Dalla said.
"I do believe that Ron Dalla is an icon, we've been around for a long time.
"We're still open for business, we're still trading, just in a wind down mode."
Ron Dalla has always been a store ahead of its time, priding themselves on the service they deliver since 1934.
"It comes back to basics, you've got to know what your customer wants and you've got to have the right stock for them," Mr Dalla said.
"You're not going to make it far unless you listen to what the people want."
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