Freshwater: High-end food retailer in talks over vacant site, following huge outdoor courtyard plans
Plans to build a huge European style courtyard behind some empty shops in Freshwater is attracting interest from a “high end” and “famous” food retailer.
Manly
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A beautiful European-style outdoor courtyard is to be created behind a row of shops under renovation in Freshwater – and a “famous” food retailer is interested in moving in.
Klaudia Brown, a Belle real estate agent, said the 200sq m courtyard would be available to a tenant leasing one of nine empty ground floor properties up for lease on Lawrence St.
She said a high end tenant “quite famous on the northern beaches” was interested in taking two shop spaces and the courtyard.
Ms Brown said the business involved “food and a couple of other things”, but declined to give any more detail.
She said it would be a “destination place”.
“We are working with a very high end and very well known tenant quite famous on the northern beaches,” she said.
“They are the key.”
She said the area behind the row of shops on Lawrence St owned by Chris Zakos, was currently a concrete jungle. But there were plans to turn it into a “beautiful internal courtyard, an oasis”, perfect for a restaurant or cafe.
However, she said they needed a tenant in place before construction can start.
Until the courtyard is built, the other tenants she has found for the space above the shops can’t move in either.
She said she hoped to have more news by November.
In July, Ms Brown told the Manly Daily an offer had been accepted by an “up-market iconic Freshwater restaurant” for the prized unit on the corner with Dowling St.
However, a lease has still not been signed.
She also revealed she was in early talks with the owner of a fine dining French restaurant, boasting an “inspirational French chef”, offering food at bistro prices.
Residents in Freshwater are desperate for good news on their shopping strip after seeing business after business leave the area.
They are still waiting to find out when the IGA plans to return.
Meanwhile, another retail strip in Albert St, is also looking forlorn since the boutique named 23 Albert, moved to Manly, and two other businesses closed, including a dry cleaners.
Four out of the five retail spots in the short row next to the arcade are empty.
New business Alana Maria Jewellery moved in 10 months ago, but is surrounded by empty properties.
Owner, Alana Ellis, 22, is a local success story.
Her hand made jewellery business is doing well with stockists in Victoria, Queensland and other places in Sydney and thriving online sales.
“We’ve just resigned the lease and are expanding,” she said.
“The shop floor is going to double in size and we’ve leased the office space upstairs.”
Ms Ellis, who employs 12 people who make the jewellery on site, grew up in Freshwater and is keen to see it get back on its feet.
“I’ve no shops either side of me,” she said. “It’s so sad.”
She said she was hoping more businesses would move in by Christmas to help increase foot traffic.