And, with the closures of Coffee Buzz Bakery on Friday November 3 and Uplands Harvest announced for the end of the year, small business owners have urged shoppers to make a shift in mindset. 

The 2016 Census showed there were 3167 households in the shire.

If each of these households redirected just $10 a week into local businesses, it would boost the local economy by more than $1.5 million dollars, said business owner Melinda Bachta.

This shift would create more local jobs, she added.

“This small shift in habit would be a huge shift for local businesses,” she said.

“Crookwell has so much to offer these days.

“There is more choice than we have ever had before.

“And pricing is just as competitive as outside of town.”

Government figures show there are more than 710,000 small businesses in NSW employing half of the state’s workforce.

The Commonwealth Bank’s Regional Business Insights report says more than half of regional businesses saw expansion as their biggest opportunity. 

It showed that businesses saw strong market or industry performance as creating opportunity, population growth or as a result of increased infrastructure.

“Encouraging existing as well as new business and economic development opportunities is firmly on the council’s agenda,” said ULSC general manager John Bell.

The council’s Economic Development Revitalisation and Action Plan for the next five years identifies areas for commercial and industrial developments.

It seeks to strengthen the commercial focus of main streets.

The plan also includes preparing for urban expansion.

It showed the ULS being pegged on the corridor between Sydney and Canberra would drive a housing increase of about 20,000 homes by 2036.