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“We will help cover the rent for as long as possible,” Jenkins says.
Rather than being in direct competition with current traders,the idea is to bring in an eclectic mix of businesses to complement existing stores.
“We have a certain methodology and that is to introduce tenants who are different from the usual mix and have just needed support to test a concept in a physical space,” Jenkin says.
Earlier this year,Acland Street replaced Melbourne’s struggling Bridge Road in Richmond as the city’s “ugly duckling”,after it reported the highest vacancy of any retail strip in 20 years,with a blowout to 27.5 per cent.
Jenkins has helped oversee similar plans in other parts of Melbourne,including one for the City of Melbourne,which secured 40 vacant spaces and offered new traders free rent. More than half of those traders transitioned to a long-term lease after the program.
“Melbourne needs all the support it can get,having undertaken one of the most strenuous coronavirus lockdown globally,” Jenkins said.
Jason Kerr and Conor Shortt enjoying a drink at Jimmy O’Neill’s in Acland Street,St Kilda.Credit:Penny Stephens
“What we are finding is that these kinds of programs are necessary whether it be in the CBD,suburbs,regional areas … the way consumers,shop,work and live has changed as a result of the pandemic.”
Andriotakis says he can already see the magic returning to the street as new tenants arrive.
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“It’s been exciting,” he says. “You’ve got a new yoghurt shop,an açai shop and some great pop-up shops.”
While there has been a perception of crime on Acland Street,statistics show overall crime is hovering at 23.5 per cent below pre-pandemic levels. Much has been done to fix this perception,including police blitzes and a council clean-up of graffiti.
Janet Rosenberg,who heads Acland Street Village Business Association and has owned homewares store Chakra on the strip for more than 30 years,said the pandemic was not solely to blame for the street’s demise,citing years of soaring rents and other issues,such as issues with parking.
Vacancy rates on Melbourne’s prime strips have fallen from 12.8 per cent to 11.3 per cent over the past year.
Hobsons Bay Council is facing the same battle and has hired consultantsin a bid to revivestruggling main shopping strips in Williamstown,as traders blamed sky-high rents,soaring costs,low foot traffic and a lack of parking,for a demise in the beachside suburb in Melbourne’s south-west.
In 2021, temporary rent-free leases were also offered to Fitzroy Street in St Kilda after foot traffic there plummeted during the pandemic.
Acland Street drew in the crowds on Saturday.Credit:Penny Stephens
WhenThe Sunday Agevisited Acland Street on Saturday several shops were vacant,including a shuttered souvlaki restaurant. But the warm summer weather had drawn in crowds of people,who filled outdoor tables enjoying a slice of cake,a meal or an ice-cream.
In the new year,the Sunset Market (an offshoot of the Esplanade Market) will open at Acland Plaza and Rosenberg can’t wait to see a plan to light up all the palm trees along the strip in full flight.
“Acland was getting a bit horrible,but now it is getting fantastic again,” Rosenberg says.
“I can feel it already. There is much better vibe. We’ve got happy people coming again and any sunny day it’s as busy as.”
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