End of an era for Queanbeyan (and Canberra) as Dimitries Jewellers closes final store
A young Steve Stavreas had never really thought about opening a business in Queanbeyan. But a fateful walk down Monaro Street in the early 1980s changed everything.
At the time, Steve was chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in the ACT and had already opened his first Dimitries store in the Woden Plaza in 1980 with his wife Tina. Other family members owned two other stores: the original store in Manuka, opened in 1967, and another in Belconnen Mall, opened in 1978.
When Steve visited Queanbeyan for a Chamber of Commerce meeting in 1981, it became what we call nowadays a true ‘sliding doors’ moment.
Steve and Tina Stavreas on their wedding day.
As he walked along Monaro Street for the second meeting – wearing a three-piece suit with a gold pocket watch no less – he was greeted politely by pretty much everyone he came across. One man even tipped his hat in that small country town way.
Steve fell instantly in love with the small town on the other side of the border.
“It was the soul of Queanbeyan that dad was attracted to,” Steve and Tina’s daughter Amalia Stavreas says.
“He said, this is definitely where we want to be – not only in business, but from a family point of view as well.”
Steve Stavreas went home and told Tina. ‘We’re moving to Queanbeyan’.
The Queanbeyan branch of Dimitries opened in 1981, and Steve, Tina and their two boys Kosta and Yianni moved to a property near Burra.
The jewellery store was an instant success. Located in the QueanB Centre, it was the early 1980s and cocktail rings, pearls and statement pieces were the order of the day. The jewellery was designed by Steve, in the early days. Tina took over the bespoke designs and is still designing 46 years later.
By the 1990s, the Stavreas’ businesses were flourishing. Dimitries moved from the QueanB into the brand new Riverside Plaza (where EB Games stands today) and Tina, an incredible designer in her own right, opened her own signature store, Giovanni & Jones.
Thousands of women in the region have an engagement ring designed and created by Dimitries.
The Stavreas kids grew up in the shops, helping customers from an early age.
“We were pretty much raised by everyone in Queanbeyan,” Amalia says.
“We spent our afternoons at the shop, so we grew up talking to people, qualifying people, finding out about people.
“It is and was a special place to work.”
Steve’s passion for the small city he’d moved to was unrivalled. He was head of the Queanbeyan Business Chamber, elected to the then Queanbeyan City Council and ran for mayor.
Steve with baby son Yianni.
“Dad found a community here. He loved the community. It was his village,” Amalia says.
“He had always loved taking walks and would always talk to people he met along the way
“He wanted the world to be a better place. And he wanted to contribute to the town so others could see what he saw.”
As the decades passed, Giovanni & Jones closed but Dimitries remained an icon of Queanbeyan retail, moving more into engagement rings, beautiful pearl and colored stones jeweller and even lab grown diamonds for engagement rings. The store moved to a new location in Riverside Plaza.
Amalia Stavreas (front) with current head designer and gemologist Mystara Holweg.
But 2026 marks the end of an era for the Stavreas family as the Dimitries Queanbeyan store – the final bricks and mortar store in the Dimitries chain still standing – closes its doors.
The decision to close the Queanbeyan store has been hard on the Stavreas family.
“It’s a huge decision and it’s definitely been emotional,” Amalia says.
“This has been our family’s lifeblood and identity for so long. There is a real sense of grief.”
All stock will be marked down in the Queanbeyan store and while the online version of Dimitries will continue to sell the family’s gorgeous pieces, they want to be truly present to say goodbye to the people of Queanbeyan in person.
“This is about saying thank you. It’s an opportunity for customers to own a piece of Dimitries history. It won’t happen like this again,” Amalia says.
“We really want to be present – this is about Queanbeyan and our long relationship with the Queanbeyan and Canberra region.
“This has been our home. We want to focus on the store for the next month, and we’ll focus on the rest of the world later.”
The Dimitries closing down sale starts 9am on Tuesday 7 April 2026 and ends on Sunday 3 May 2026.
About the Author: Briony Winchester
Part bogan, part wannabe plus-size model and part journalist, Bree's the woman behind Q! News. A born storyteller, she's been writing locally, nationally and internationally for more than 30 years.
