PHOTO: Stephanie Ryan and Katrina Lefebvre have an exciting vision for their new main street building.
At the entrance from the Castlereagh Highway to the main business district, new owners Katrina Lefebvre and Stephanie Ryan are creating an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life out of the old bank building.
Completed in 1913 as the Commercial Bank and the only building on the western side of Castlereagh Street to survive the 1929 fire, 68 Castlereagh Street stands as a stately sentry at the heart of the town.
“It’s a beautiful building we’re trying to bring back to life,” Mrs Ryan said.
“We’re so excited about it and have lots of ideas.”
The pair envisage the building and its garden full of mature, shady trees as an oasis that can help to reinvigorate the main street.
“It’s in the main street so it needs to be maintained and looked after and used to benefit everyone,” Mrs Lefebvre said.
Apart from the existing bank agency, which will continue to stay in their current rooms, the new owners say the building has remained empty and unused for the past two decades.
Previously, the two-story building was home to successive bank managers and their families.
Mrs Ryan and Mrs Lefebvre purchased the building together with their husbands, Tom and Georges in December 2024.
The pair will have their own rooms set up and are looking for other tenants who have their own wellbeing-centred ventures to join them in their mission of creating a ‘wellness hub’ for Coonamble.
“It’s a space that’s supportive of women, especially young mothers who are looking for a flexible solution to incorporate a business into their life,” Mrs Lefebvre said.
Mrs Ryan will move her psychology practice from across the road into the second floor of the building where the enclosed verandah will act as a waiting room, while Mrs Lefebvre will run her yoga studio in another upstairs space.
Still busy with cleaning, repairs and painting, the pair expect to have their businesses up and running from the space by the beginning of March with the remainder of the building to be completed by the end of the year.
Their plans include a conference room, a beauty salon set up for anyone offering cosmetology services, and kitchen/dining rooms downstairs that could be converted into a café or bar.
A kitchen window facing the garden offers an easy way to serve customers in a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ fashion.
A window facing into the cool, shaded garden offers a beautiful opportunity to set up a few chairs and have a backyard jam session.
To add to the atmosphere, they are asking for any old photos or other memorabilia from Coonamble to bring the history of the town to life.
In the meantime, there’s plenty of work to be done and the new owners are open to any volunteers interested in helping to get the building ready for the public.
“We think it’s a great space, the whole community could use,” Mrs Ryan said.