Boutique closes after 14 years in Brisbane’s wealth belt
It has been a hot spot for Brisbane shopaholics for more than a decade but now another fashion boutique, located in one of Brisbane’s wealthiest suburbs, has closed it doors amid increasingly tough times for retailers around the country.
QLD Business
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A POPULAR boutique in one of Brisbane‘s wealthiest suburbs has shut its doors amid the continuing fallout from the coronavirus shutdown.
Thousand Island Dressing New Farm, owned by local Ellen Geraghty, has informed customers it has closed after 14 years in the Merthyr Village shopping centre.
Ms Geraghty said in a social media announcement that she was grateful for the community support and lifelong friendships made during her time with the business.
The other independently owned Thousand Island Dressing Boutique at Paddington remains open.
“All good things must come to an end,” said Ms Geraghty.
“I’ve been part of the Thousand Island Dressing family since I was 18. First as a retail assistant, then manager and finally as an owner/ director. Although I went back and forth between England for a few years. I always found myself coming back ’home’.”
She said she will still be trading online via Instagram.
The closure of the New Farm boutique, which sold jewellery and homewares, comes amid increasingly dire predictions for Queensland‘s retail sector.
Petrol, one of Brisbane’s longest established fashion boutiques, also has closed its doors blaming the coronavirus pandemic and the “endless options” now available to consumers.
Paula Acheson, who ran the boutique at Paddington, says the world of retail has changed dramatically since she first opened her shop more than 30 years ago.
Acheson says online sales such as Black Friday had impacted bricks-and-mortar retailers who were struggling to keep people coming in their doors.
Leanne DeMartini, who owns the flagship Thousand Island Dressing store at Paddington, said earlier this year she would close her Oxford St, Bulimba, shop after 15 years.
Ms DeMartini said a decrease in foot traffic had been the leading factor behind the decision.
Fashion retailers such as Petrol and Thousand Island are expected to be among the hardest hit as Australia moves into a recession following the pandemic.
As many as one in six Australian small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) could close as a result of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ruthven Institute founder and respected economic futurist, Phil Ruthven.