Throughout 2023 a variety of new businesses opened in Orange including restaurants, a wine bar, and various industrial and business ventures.
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A variety of other existing businesses also changed ownership during the year or relocated to new premises.
Here are some of the ones that opened for the first time during the year.
Hey Rosie
Having worked in hospitality most of their lives, Leigh Oliver and partner Verity Abrams moved from Bathurst to Orange in late 2019 with one goal in mind; open a place they could call their own.
In January that goal was realised when they opened Hey Rosie in Summer Street.
"We wanted it to be a place that felt almost like our living room, nice neighbourhood, wine bar vibes. It almost feels like having people over," Ms Abrams said.
The bar is licensed for 20 people who can sit around the bar or a small space in the back.
A new addition has been outdoor seating and the bar was recognised in the Good Food Guide 2024 where they earned a critic's pick.
La Milano
A new Italian restaurant in Orange its doors in winter.
La Milano Italian opened at the heritage Summer Street address previously occupied by Zona.
It was the first restaurant for co-owners Maninder Singh and Rubandeep Singh.
Banksia Orange
The Union Bank's Sarah Crowley and Dom Aboud took over Orange's old Turner's Function Centre this year and opened a new venue, Banksia Orange.
The site off the Mitchell Highway had not been operational for about six years.
"We couldn't believe this space had sat dormant for this long, so we were pretty excited when the opportunity came up," Miss Crowley said.
The new function centre has already played host to the 2023 Orange Business Awards among other events.
Suli Sushi
Japanese restaurant Suli Sushi opened in the building previously occupied by the hatted Lolli Redini restaurant.
Suli Sushi owner Lily Liao and Bill Wu held a soft opening on October 4.
They purchased the site at 48 Sale Street for $1.03 million back in February.
"It's [our] first Japanese restaurant but we worked for other restaurants before," Ms Liao said.
She said they also run the Suli Sushi takeaway at North Orange.
Oz Design Furniture
Furniture store Oz Design Furniture opened in the former Bunnings store in Orange in April.
The store opening included in-store specials and lucky door prizes with 25 per cent off most items.
The closest Oz Design to Orange prior to this had been in Penrith.
Baby Bunting
The first Baby Bunting store in the Central West opened this year.
The specialist retailer caters to parents with children from new-borns to three years of age.
Its stock includes prams, car seats, carriers, furniture, nursery, safety, babywear, manchester, changing, toys, feeding, and much more.
Amart
A third business to open in the Orange Homemakers Centre was Amart.
After a long wait the furniture store opened its doors in December.
In July it was announced the mega homewares shop would take up the final space at the Orange Homemaker Centre.
The cult furniture favourite was a perfect fit for the former Bunnings site.
Spendless shoes
A new shop opened in the former Sanity store in Orange City Centre in August.
Spendless Shoes took the space in shop 21 across from Big W.
Store manager Lauren Brown works at the new shoe shop alongside three casual employees and said she loved the location.
"I think it's so busy because you've got to come up the travelator and people going past and then there's the cafe and Australia Post has opened next door temporarily so it's really like a hub at the moment, which is good.
Think Water Orange
Rex and Lucy Wilson opened their first business, Think Water Orange in June after spending 40 years in the industry.
Mr Wilson said the business focus is on treatment, filtration and pumping for pipelines, irrigation and ponds.
"It's our first business together," Mr Wilson said.
"We have dabbled in different businesses in a similar area for 40 years."
Pretty Things Dress Hire
Not all businesses that opened in Orange this year were in bricks and mortar establishments.
There were plenty of home-based businesses too.
One of them was Pretty Things Dress Hire.
Bride to be Chelsea Smerdon started the dress hire business after finding a gap in the market as she prepared for her own wedding.
She has launched Pretty Things Dress Hire to cater for people who need a dress for a formal event such as weddings, baby showers, formals and birthdays but don't want to, or can't, fork out for a new formal dress.
Ms Smerdon said she started the opening process in July but has been building the website and getting stock since then and officially launched on September 28 ready for the social season.
Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
