Mt Gravatt Central businesses share tales of the coronavirus lockdown

From a cafe that’s had a massive drop in revenue to a store where sales have increased by about 15 per cent — traders on a southside shopping strip share different tales of the lockdown.

TRADERS at a southside shopping street have strikingly different experiences during the lockdown, from one with 50 per cent drop in revenue to another whose sales shot up.

Earlier this year, Mt Gravatt Central was gearing up for big things after a $30,000 election promise from the council to revitalise the street — then the pandemic hit.

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Mt Gravatt Main Street Committee chairman Michael Sunderland said although lots of buses were stopping across the road from him, no-one was getting on or off.

Michael Sunderland (centre) at Karalis Real Estate at Mt Gravatt Central. Photo: Kristy Muir

“That’s an indicator of the people who aren’t about,” he said.

He said the street’s hair and beauty salons and gyms and other fitness businesses had closed but food and coffee shops were still trading while the Mt Gravatt Plaza shopping centre seemed to be doing “extremely well”.

“I’d sum it up by saying the strip is holding up, and holding up reasonably well,” he said.

MT GRAVATT MOWER CENTRE

An incredibly bright spark on the street is the Mt Gravatt Mower Centre, where sales have risen between 10 to 15 per cent overall and customers want Australian-made.

Manager Greg Whapham said people wanted to keep their lawns mown during their self-isolation, and were either having their machines repaired or buying new Aussie ones.

“We’ve had people wanting to buy mowers because they can’t have them fixed, they’re buying mowers because they need them again now that it’s rained and because they want to support local business,” he said.

“There’s definitely been a shift to Australian-made.”

He said demand for Australian made mowers had quadrupled since the lockdown began, with people wanting to support local and not being able to get repair parts from abroad.

Mt Gravatt Central on Logan Rd. File Photo: Kristy Muir

Mr Whapham said on his side of the street, there were only four businesses trading, himself, the chemist, the recently reopened newsagent and the mobile phone shop.

“We would expect some more to come in the next couple of weeks, but definitely there will be more to come now that you can do non-essential shopping,” he said.

He added there were more open businesses across the road, as his side of the street was full of fitness businesses and gyms.

“We’re all talking to each other, and that’s really helped,” he said.

He wanted to highlight how good customers had been: “The compassion and understanding from our customers absolutely astonished me”.

“I did not see the worst in people, I saw the absolute best in people.”

HALLOWED GROUNDS

Across the way from the Mt Gravatt Mower Centre is cafe/bar Hallowed Grounds, where owner April Shen is determined to stay open and hopes restrictions will ease soon.

It has been a tough month for Ms Shen: her revenue is down 50 per cent she has lost five of her ten staff but she said support from locals has buoyed her.

She said it was “heartbreaking” to let go the international students who worked for her, who did not qualify for JobKeeper support.

“With the current business we don’t really have many hours available, it’s really drastic,” she said.

“We’ve created takeaway lunches and breakfasts and we have a lot of pastries and bake our own muffins, doughnuts and fresh sandwiches.

“Whatever works, that’s what we need to do.”

April Shen at Hallowed Grounds. File Picture: AAP/Renae Droop

She said her customers had been “so lovely” and made the effort to buy coffees from them.

“A lot of people, in the back of their mind, are trying to help the local business, trying to buy from here and there and there (on the street).

“They really don’t want to see the businesses go.”

She said if restrictions eased in the coming weeks or months and she was able to retain her staff the business could bounce back.

“But if it goes longer, I don’t think any business can go back to where they were and easily start back.

“I’m trying to stay open even though I don’t make a lot of money or even break even. But for me, it’s critical to stay open.”

MARK WILLIAMS ARCHITECTS

At the city end of the strip, Mark Williams the owner of Mark Williams Architects said larger projects from the previous year were keeping his business going.

“We’ve probably got about two to three months more work with this larger project, but we’ll need new projects a month before that, so we can keep going,” he said.

“We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had any major projects under construction.

“But where it has impacted us, is with potential projects: an industrial building’s been put on hold, a house at West End’s been put on hold, we’ve had a client pull out of buying land.”

He added that one hiccup was that an order of Italian tiles had not yet arrived as it became difficult to get imported goods.

“I’m encouraging them (our clients) to look at what is available, whether it is Australian-made. But obviously, we’ve still got to look at cost.

Mark Williams at Logan Rd, Mt Gravatt. Picture: AAP/John Gass

Out in the street, he said the number of the people in the area had dropped, more people were walking their dogs and a lot of businesses had shut.

“You’re not seeing anybody going in to LJ Hooker but Red Rooster’s drive through has been really, really busy, and graffiti’s increased,” he said.

“Children have been idle.”

He said the street and the economy would bounce back but it would take time.

“Where it’s going to hurt, is the businesses that don’t last. That will leave the gap,” he said.

“It’s the debt and it’s the cost to society. The loss of jobs, the staff they would have had.

It’s who’s been cashed up enough, or qualify for government funding and that’s still got to be paid back.”