Two thirds of central Colac businesses ignored a Colac Show Day public holiday and kept their doors open.
Retailers have called for Colac Otway Shire to change its holiday dates after confusion surrounding Friday’s Colac Show Day holiday, and the loss of a Melbourne Cup holiday on Tuesday.
The Colac Herald counted 41 businesses open in Murray Street between Hesse Street and Corangamite Street on Friday afternoon, while 20 businesses were closed.
Banks, travel agents, government services and other stores closed, but most retailers and hospitality businesses remained open for a full or half day.
John Blane of Blane’s Newsagency said the closure of a third of businesses impacted on the businesses that opened, because there were fewer people about.
“It puts people in a state of uncertainty if a number of the shops are going to be closed,” Mr Blane said.
He said Tuesday was quiet, and Friday was quieter than usual.
Mr Blane said the Friday of the Colac Show should be a holiday for schools only, and the public holiday should be on Melbourne Cup Day.
Paige Allen of clothing store Rouje reported regular  trade on Friday.
“There’s been more people around than I thought there probably would be,” she said.
Ms Allen said she opened for half a day on Tuesday and it was “dead quiet”.
“Today has been a lot busier,” she said on Friday.
Ms Allen said she would prefer businesses to treat the public holidays uniformly.
“It’d be better if everyone did one or the other,” she said.
Helen Baulch of Sports-power Colac said the shop opened on Tuesday and Friday and she said Tuesday was busier than previous Melbourne Cups.
“It was always a dead day,” she said.
“This year there were quite a few people around.”
Mrs Baulch said she would prefer the public holiday to be on the Tuesday, because it was usually a quieter day than a Friday.
“Maybe let the schools have the Friday,” she said.
Jan Harty of Just Lovely said Friday had been busy.
“It’s similar to most Fridays,” Ms Harty said.
She said she did not open the store on Tuesday, and she always closed for Melbourne Cup Day.
Ms Harty said the public holiday should be on the Tuesday. She said it was easier to do business when holiday dates were in synch with the rest of the state.
Colac Otway Shire Council asked the State Government to move the holiday from Tuesday to Friday so people could attend the Colac Show.
The move came after the Education Department changed its rules so Colac Schools could no longer have a pupil-free day for the Colac Show.

BUSY: Paige Allen of Rouje reported regular trade on Friday’s public holiday.