The Base Warehouse at The Entrance closes after nearly 18 years

It has been a retail institution at The Entrance for nearly 18 years but The Base Warehouse closed its doors for the final time yesterday citing online shopping as one of the main reasons.

The Base Warehouse at The Entrance has closed after 18 years. Picture: Richard Noone

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It has been a retail institution at The Entrance for nearly 18 years but The Base Warehouse closed its doors for the final time yesterday citing online shopping as one of the main reasons.

It comes amid fears The Entrance is dying with an increasing number of vacant shop fronts.

Owner Pav Zenos said he wanted to thank the costume, party and homewares shop’s loyal customers, many of which he said had supported the store since it opened nearly two decades ago.

Mr Zenos also thanked his landlord who released him from his lease early and said even if the rent was halved “we would not have stayed”.

The Base Warehouse at The Entrance has closed after 18 years. Picture: Richard Noone

“It’s online that taking over all discretionary spending,” he said.

“It’s taking more than half of retail sales, it becomes impossible. When you’ve got people standing in the shop and then going on Google and saying they can buy it online and save 25-cents.”

Mr Zenos said the closing of the Motor Registry and the dissolution of The Entrance Town Centre Management in 2016 also contributed to the demise of The Base Warehouse and other shops.

“As far as The Entrance itself is concerned I think there’s 22, soon to be 23 vacant shops,” he said.

“An Entrance icon closes after nearly 20 years but the big story is the death of The Entrance.”

An empty shopfront at The Entrance. Picture: Richard Noone

He said the final nail in the coffin had been the rejuvenation of Long Jetty, which was “always the poor cousin of The Entrance”.

“When the (RMS) left the arcade the back car park used to be full,” he said.

“Once it closed that week we saw a difference.”

There are a number of vacant shopfronts at The Entrance. Picture: Richard Noone

Mr Zenos said retailers at The Entrance could earn three month’s worth of takings between Boxing Day and January 7 but after those two weeks had to survive on “what they can get”.

After nearly 18 years, Mr Zenos said The Base Warehouse had employed close to 1100 casual, part-time and full-time staff, many of which were juniors looking for experience and older people looking to get back into the workforce.