With international borders still closed and more people than ever holidaying in their own backyard, Jason Valenzisi felt there was no better time to re-open the caravan dealership he'd worked at for over a decade.
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The former New Age Caravan salesperson had the idea to bring back the business "about eight months ago", and in April he saw his dream become reality as Griffith Caravan Centre launched on Willandra Avenue.
Mr Valenzisi said the months that have followed have been very busy, but also filled with a lot of positivity, as Griffith's caravan enthusiasts express their delight at the return of the dealership.
"People have been very glad to see us open back up," he said.
"They've come in to wish me all the best and they've said they're delighted to see the business back and running as usual."
Along with the returning wave of old customers, there has also been a surge of new faces, with plenty of families and retired couples looking to get involved in the caravanning craze which has taken over the country over the past year.
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Mr Valenzisi said the new-found passion and excitement towards mobile homes is no surprise, and that it was only a matter of time before people discovered the beauty of hitting the road for a NSW vacation.
"It's the lifestyle which people love because it's a casual lifestyle where you make a lot of different friends in all sorts of unique place," Mr Valenzisi said.
"Now that people can't go overseas they've realised they want to have a look at their own backyard, and Australia really is a big backyard when you look at it.
"On my first caravan holiday we went down to Albury. We set up shop and the kids ran off the play with every other kid in the park and we didn't see them for three days ... it was perfect."
But it hasn't all been smooth sailing for the reborn business, with the skyrocketing demand making it more competitive than ever to purchase the vans.
"Getting stock is the hardest at the moment because the sales of new caravans has just blown up so there's a six month wait on any new vans," Mr Valenzisi said.
As well as Mr Valezsisi, Griffith Caravan Centre is also owned by Craig and Kylie Parmenter.
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