King William Rd upgrades to halt for Christmas trade, should finish early 2020
King William Rd shop owners frustrated by the six-month-long roadworks can look forward to a tools-down reprieve for Christmas trading — as a finish date nears.
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Embattled King William Rd traders have been promised a roadworks reprieve for Christmas and final completion of the retail strip’s disruptive upgrade by late January.
Unley Council has confirmed workers will down tools by December 2 — the first break since work started on the $15.5 million upgrade in May — to allow uninterrupted Christmas trade at the Hyde Park precinct.
While work is set to restart after the festive season, Mayor Michael Hewitson hopes to “cut the ribbon” on the redevelopment at the council’s annual Gourmet Gala street party, held to coincide with the Tour Down Under in late January.
The road to this point has been a bumpy ride, with several businesses closing and others cutting their hours.
Amid the dust, construction workers, road and lane closures and missing footpaths, it has been business as usual for others — with the strip even welcoming some newcomers.
Natasha Said opened her cafe He Said She Said last month in the site vacated by Cotto Espresso and said business was better than anticipated.
“In the first couple of weeks I guess a lot of people wanted to come in and try us,” Ms Said said. “We try to make people feel as welcome as possible with what’s going on.”
Other newbies include chocolatier Steven Ter Horst, Greek diner Agapi, Joybird chicken shop, Glenelg favourite Mr Potato and Plant B Life, which only opened this month.
Sue Gardner, the owner of Dymocks, which moved to King William Rd in January last year after 20 years in Burnside Village, ensured people kept coming through the doors with gifts and random prize draws.
“We’ve had a lot of support from publishers and we’ve been doing stuff on Facebook,” said Ms Gardner, who has ensured the shop’s hours remained consistent.
Her Facebook page has featured pictures of some of workmen reading books, with her posts praising their work.
Shouz employee Lisa Ditroia expected the roadworks to have had a bigger impact on trade.
“When the road was closed it was expected it was quiet, but locals made the effort to come out and support us,” Ms Ditroia said. “You’ve got to be positive. When it’s all finished, it will draw people to the shop.”
Biba Boutique owner Nadia Evans was also hopeful the roadworks were a matter of short-term pain for long-term gain. She said the new shops were good news for the street. “There are some loyal and new people, but hopefully it (the new road) encourages new people to the area,” Ms Evans said.
Neville Quist has owned fashion outlet Saville Row since 1985. He was more cautious about the future, taking a “wait and see attitude” to the success — or otherwise — of the works. Mr Quist said while the upgrade had not had a big impact on his sales, he did reduce his opening hours and offered discounts to attract shoppers “among the dust”.
But amid the optimism is some pain. Hustle Cafe owner Daniella Schultz has worked between 70 and 80 hours a week, seven days a week, since her business first opened late last year.
She said she was told King William Rd would only be closed for a month and was not warned of the partial road restrictions. But she would continue to work tirelessly “until I can afford to take a day off”.
“I am determined to stick it out,” Ms Schultz said.
It’s deja vu for Carolyn Foord’s Wild Child Stylelab, which was already on the strip when about 28,000 pavers were laid from 1985 to 1987, forming what was then the longest paved road of its kind in Australia.
“The stress has been unbelievable,” said Ms Foord, who has been paying someone to clean her shop’s windows every second day to combat dust from the roadworks.
Along with Cotto Espresso, other businesses to have closed down in recent months include Flowers 162 and Dulwich Bakery. Another 12 shops remain empty.
King William Road Traders’ Association chairman John Nasaris said there was no doubt 2019 had been a challenging year for traders.
“That said, we are now approaching the finishing line and we are focused as well as excited about the sensational transformation and all that it will offer,” Mr Nasaris said