11/10/2026
Before the landmark building on Maitland Road. Before 17 stores spread across Newcastle's suburbs. Before a name became synonymous with quality and community — there was a small general store in a small country town.
The year was 1913. Richard James Owens opened his first store in Wollombi, in the Hunter Valley hinterland, at the age of 38. Alongside his wife Tessie and their growing family, he established a business built on a principle that never changed: treat people well, deliver what you promise, and the community will look after you.
The Wollombi store was a general store in the truest sense — groceries, hardware, drapery, haberdashery and millinery all under one roof. Tessie managed the drapery and millinery departments with great skill, supported by the trusted Miss Millie Bourne who had worked with the family for years. Meanwhile Richard concentrated on the grocery and hardware side, building supplier relationships and refining the ordering system that would become the backbone of his expanding enterprise.
What made the Owens model work from day one was personal service and the delivery system. Orders were collected door-to-door and delivered fresh. Credit was offered on fortnightly cycles, aligned to the wage rhythms of local industry. These weren't just clever business ideas — they were genuine acts of community care at a time when families depended on reliable, affordable goods.
By 1919, the opportunity of Newcastle's booming suburbs beckoned. Richard moved the family north, to a new store in the suburb of Islington — and the next extraordinary chapter of the Owens story began.
We're sharing 52 weeks of history here at The Owens Collective — the former head office of R. Owens Ltd, now home to local businesses, community events and our zero-commission gallery at 99–101 Maitland Road, Islington.
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