Community
15 August, 2025
Family-owned for 41 years
LAFFS celebrated a major milestone recently, marking 41 years of operation as the next generation emerges to run the store.
Opened in 1984 by Gary Lafferty and his late wife Bev Lafferty, the store has seen three generations of the family.
Mr Lafferty said it was the encouragement of a local businessman which saw him return to Camperdown.
“I was a Target store manager at the time, and Bill Saunders, who owned Saunders Drapery, encouraged me to come back and help run his place,” he said.
“Ten years after I came back, I bought the place and it became Laffs.
“It was planned we would run it for as long as we could.
“We didn’t think short-term – we always thought long-term.”
Mr Lafferty ran the store alongside his wife until it was taken over by his daughter Kim McKenzie and her brother Liam.
Today, the pair run the store alongside Ms McKenzie’s daughter Madidi McKenzie following her graduation from school.
Mr Lafferty said he was thankful for the support from wider community, as well as the support from Mrs Lafferty who he said “was Laffs”.
“We had that support from the community and the surrounding area, and that kept us going,” he said.
“I was always looking forward to going to work.
“It’s always good, and I appreciate the fact that they did support and are still supporting us.”
Mr Lafferty said he hoped the store will continue into the future despite the current economic climate.
“It’s been tough times since COVID and we’re in the middle of a drought – it’s made it pretty difficult,” he said.
“Laffs could go forever – we’ve been through rough times over the 40-odd years, and we’ve survived them.
“It was a challenge right from the word go to make a business be viable in Camperdown.
“Everybody told me it wasn’t going to be easy – they were right, but there were pleasant memories of it and it did operate well.
“It’s not easy for any of the farmers at the moment, and this town relies on the farming community to be a prosperous town.”
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