For almost two decades, Andrew Watson and his family have cultivated a strong community at The Hobson Stores, in the Melbourne suburb of Sandringham.
Originally built in 1911 as a haberdashery, the building has been the home to many businesses, although none that have brought together the community in such a powerful way.
With a warm fireplace and no televisions, the pub has cultivated a home-away-from-home atmosphere, designed to encourage patrons to interact with each other.
Now, crunch time has hit as the lease is due to expire in October this year, with no possibility of extension.
Watson leases the building from landlord Daniel Enright.
In 1998, Enright and his mother purchased the building as an income stream for her while he moved to the United States, intending to eventually return to build his own business in the building.
In November 2010, Watson won a tough battle with the council to improve the venue’s liquor licencing arrangement.
In 2011 Enright’s mother died unexpectedly of melanoma, leaving him as the sole owner.
In 2017, he advised Watson that he was not interested in extending the lease beyond 2025, which is when the relationship between the two began to decline.
Sadly, in 2023, Watson’s eldest daughter Jessica, manager of Hobson’s, passed away, followed by the passing of his wife Susan the following year.
Watson, who has lived in the area since childhood, was unhappy that the venue – considered a cornerstone of the community – would have to close its doors. He offered Enright opportunity to take over Hobsons, extending the offer to training new staff.
Enright was not interested.
The feud then went public.
Watson began the “Save Our Pub” campaign and local filmmaker Matt Stirling produced a documentary on the situation.
A petition on Change.org said the cherished venue was a “beacon of community spirit” that sought to “emphasise the profound cultural and social loss” that would occur if the pub closed, and urged the landlord to reconsider his decision.
Enright then claimed that following the campaign he received emails which were abusive and threatening.
“We won’t be bullied out of our own dreams for the building and the area of Sandringham, and it seems to us completely unreasonable to be expected to,” he told News.com.au.
He pointed out that leases end all the time, and Watson had known this was coming for many years.
Still, Watson believes Enright fails to understand the significance the venue holds for the community.
Watson said that while he respects that he owns the building, an astute business owner would consider placing a business in an area with a more dedicated retail presence, such as Brighton’s Church Street, or Chapel Street Prahran.
Enright has not divulged his plans for the building, and the matter remains unresolved.
