The transformation of “our end” of Crown Street continues with the imminent closure of another long-term local business.
For as long as I’ve been living in Surry Hills, I’ve been popping in to our local “variety store”. As befits the area, it’s more than a “two dollar shop”, selling a variety of “stuff”. Most of my purchases have been around various plugs for electronic equipment, wrapping paper, and picnic gear. It’s also been a great place to pick up half a dozen wine cheap, replaceable wine glasses and some laundry detergent or dish-washing liquid in preference to Coles.
Coles really has taken over the area for many of these types of purchases. You see people going in now just to purchase a bottle of milk, especially with the self-serve terminals which make it – usually – so much faster.
I guess the problem for our Variety Store was that they weren’t selling anything you couldn’t find at Coles at a cheaper price. The selling point for me, though, was always convenience. It was just a few hundred metres away. And I liked that it has been owned by a lovely couple. When I saw the “closing down” sign the other day I popped in to say g’day and wish them all the best. It’s been apparent sales have been slow for a while as they’ve had a number of sales in the last twelve months. As I wished him the best, he told me he was looking forward to a new less busy life.
They’re open for three more weeks with a “half-price sale”, so I plan to pop in a few more times to help make sure their shelves are empty when they leave.
And the future for the store? Presumably, it’ll be replaced by a cafe, a restaurant or day-spa, as seems to be more and more the case with “our end” of Crown Street.
