Kicked out of Brickworks Market site in 2013, now they’re back trading
TRADERS booted from the Brickworks Market site ahead of its million-dollar revamp by a supermarket giant have joined forces to set up shop nearby.
A GROUP of former Brickworks Market traders are slowly rebuilding businesses at Findon after being evicted from two sites in three years.
The markets’ greengrocer, halal butcher, Indian market and seafood store have relocated to a large shopfront in the Findon Fair shopping centre on Findon Rd, with many of their old Brickworks posters and signage still on display.
They were told to vacate the traders’ hall at the brickworks to make way for the Woolworths construction works in October 2013.
The four businesses moved to a warehouse on the intersection of South Rd and Manton St in November, 2013, but the site was acquired for the State Government’s South Rd extension about a year ago.
Vantu (Van) Nguyen, who ran his fruit and veg shop at the old Brickworks site for 13 years, says it took five months to find and secure the premises in Findon – during which time he was unable to trade.
“It’s very hard for us, very hard,” the Vietnamese migrant who has a farm at Virginia says.
“We lost everything.
“We lost the business, lost customers, lost a lot of income.
“My family, my workers lost their jobs.”
Since moving into the new site, Mr Nguyen said business was building “slowly”.
Moheez Mohammed said his family business, Austar Meats, operated from the Brickworks for about two-and-a-half years before the traders’ hall closed.
He was grateful for the new space on Findon Rd and said some other Brickworks stallholders had asked to join them but there was not enough space.
He said the former Brickworks stallholders looked after each other as much as they could but many had ended up going to different places or had gone out of business.
He said his business, which specialises in halal lamb, beef and goat, was also slowly starting to pick up again.
Kannan Karthireyan has kept the original name of his business, Brickworks Seafood and Grocery, despite the move to Findon.
“I kept the name because that’s where I started,” he explained of his business, which opened 10 year ago and traded at the Brickworks for six years.
“People were thinking it would reopen but I didn’t think so,” he said of the market.
Mr Karthireyan said he was also working to build up new customers following the two evictions, but he was philosophical about his situation.
“Things are not bad, not bad,” he said. “I lost a lot of money, but that always happens in business.
“I feel I am better off than somebody who has nothing.
“I work hard.”
KILN SALE IS BACK TO DRAWING BOARD
WEST Torrens Council has taken plans to sell the Brickworks traders’ shed and kiln back to the drawing board after failing to reach an agreement with Aldi.
The Weekly Times Messenger reported in May the German supermarket giant was interested in the 1.8ha site, which the council put on the market more than two years ago.
Last week Acting Mayor Kim McKay said Aldi had put in a bid for the site but the council had knocked it back.
“Aldi were looking at it. They didn’t come up with the right proposal. They weren’t offering the right money,” Mr McKay said.
“We have to justify it (the sale price) to the ratepayers.”
The council also rejected three offers to buy the land in January, 2014, as none were deemed acceptable.
A series of confidential council meetings have ensured the asking price has remained secret, but it is believed to be upwards of $3 million.
Mr McKay said the council had started a $1.5 million remediation of the heritage-listed kiln to make it more attractive to potential buyers.
“As part of the future sale of the site, it’s much easier to sell it if it’s been done,” he said.
“The kiln has been an impediment for a while.”
He said the works, designed to stabilise the 1912-built kiln and its chimney, began about three months ago and would continue for about another six.
“They (workmen) have got to go right to the top of the kiln, reposition and reconnect the chimney.”
Cables were being connected to anchors in the ground to help with the stabilisation works.
Mr McKay said the council was in no hurry to sell the Brickworks site and would wait for the right development proposal to come along.
“Personally, I would like to see a movie cinema go in there (and) the Brickworks kiln be made into a boutique brewery or restaurant.”
He also saw potential for pop-up markets on the site but stressed they would be “pop up only”.
Mr McKay said many of the original brickworks traders had moved on to other sites since being evicted in October, 2013, when work started on the adjacent Woolworths shopping centre development.
He said there were “some heartstrings cut” when the council told the traders to move, but others had in fact been happy for a chance to break leases on the site.
West Torrens sold a 4.8ha site next to the Brickworks traders’ shed to Woolworths in 2013 for an undisclosed amount.
The 40-plus shopping centre officially reopened last June following a $65 million facelift.
An ALDI Australia spokesperson said the company was interested in the Torrensville region as part of its “long-term expansion plans” but was yet to secure a site.