How retail strip survived a pandemic
Retailers across the Gold Coast’s most popular beachside shopping strip were forced to axe staff, close or slog through six-day weeks where they made a paltry $20 a day as they struggled through the COVID-19 lockdown. HERE’S HOW THEY SURVIVED
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
RETAILERS across the Gold Coast’s most popular beachside shopping strip were forced to axe staff, close up shop or slog through six-day weeks where they made a paltry $20 a day as they struggled through the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
Now through the worst of the restrictions, but still facing the debilitating impact of border closures, these small business owners are trying to remain optimistic as they confront the realities of the deepest recession Australia has seen in generations.
Queensland border date may change amid fears of second wave of COVID-19 in Victoria
The Courier-Mail spoke to 30 businesses along the Gold Coast’s James Street retail strip, which relies heavily on both international and national tourism, to ask how they survived and how they are adapting.
“It’s just locals now, there’s only so much locals are going to come and spend every day on things like clothes,” Cara Lee Collective manager Nicole Seghers said.
Sarah Patchett agreed. Her family clothing business Carmel’s was surviving, but was relying on the border reopening to really kickstart sales again.
“When people from Brisbane were allowed to come down, even that made a difference,” she said.
National Retail Association chief executive Dominique Lamb said that Burleigh was a prime example of the impact border closures is having on the economy.
“Retailers in Burleigh rely indirectly on tourist money as a key source of revenue,” she said.
“Even though local customers can again frequent Burleigh’s cafes, clothing stores and restaurants, these businesses are still missing out on revenue they’d normally receive from domestic and international tourists.”
Many small business owners talked about the difficult conversations they had with staff as they told them there was no more work.
J Street Barbers owner Michelle Rijkaart had to let go of two staff members, with only two allowed in store at all times.
“I had the perfect team, it’s very hard to get the perfect team,” Ms Rijkaart said.
Home Sweet Home owner Michelle Bushby took on a six-day work week to keep her homewares store afloat.
“There wasn’t a lot in the street,” she said, “some days you do $20 to $50 a day.”
Social distancing also impacted the stores, as many were made to limit the number of customers.
Tides Boutique owner Donna Cavanagh said her shop was now playing catch up, after receiving new winter stock right before they closed for six weeks.
While some stores closed only for a small number of days, Bodypeace Bamboo Clothing Manager Michelle Derrick said her store was the last to reopen.
“We actually closed for nine weeks, we just thought it was safer for our staff,” she said.
Gold Coast Candle Co, Bliss and Beyond, David Smith and Kabana all closed for the entire month of April.
Four stores said that they relied heavily on the assistance of the JobKeeper package.
Destination Gold Coast chief executive Annaliese Battista said the focus had now shifted to rebuilding.
“Gold Coast operators are now mobilising to try and recoup the substantial economic losses sustained over the past five months,” she said. Some of that mobilisation was through adapting to the new retail environment.
Social Brew, Cedar and Stone, Doughnut Time, Home Sweet Home and Scoop all introduced online ordering, home delivery or drive-through services to reach a digital audience.
Cedar and Stone co-owner Anna Hamilton said that while their customer base had been restricted, she and co-owner Kate Samson had found some silver linings.
“The upside of that was it made us kick our butts into gear and we put all of our store online,” she said.
“We’ve tripled our weekly takings and just the amount of customers that we can reach now has increased by roughly 80 per cent.”
Doughnut Time owner Peter Andros said his Burleigh store had also implemented changes.
“We gave our phone number for a drive through pick up, so just drive at the front and we will actually give it to you in gloves locked up and that did okay too,” he said.
Only two local stores were the exception to the damage of the pandemic, with Seadog Coffee and Helen’s Heavenly Bulk Foods booming. Seadog Owner Brodie Green put the business’ success down to three factors – other coffee shops had closed; people were looking to get out; and the ‘hole in the wall’ coffee shop. “We increased about two to three times of what we normally do,” he said.
Helen Gibson, owner of Helen’s Heavenly Bulk Food said that her customers relied on her for flour, rice and beans in a time where supermarkets were sold out or had implemented limits.
*************************************************************************
Cedar and Stone Co-owner Anna Hamilton
Did you close?
“We closed for roughly a month to six weeks.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“We definitely saw our customer base was quite restricted, so usually we have lots of international and interstate travellers.
“We noticed a big loss with that customer base and it’s still something that we’re affected by.
It made us kick our butts into gear and we put all of our store online.
“We managed to see a massive boost and some really big silver linings out of it, it’s
going amazing.”
Seadog Owner Brodie Green
Did you close?
“We were open the whole time.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“We were hugely affected, but during the coronavirus period, we probably increased by maybe two or three times, so it went really well.
“We had a lot of cafes that chose to close, people had a bit more money to spend and it’s such a great spot to get coffee. You don’t have to line up to be in a cafe (and worry) about getting the virus.”
J Street Barbers Owner Michelle Rijkaart
Did you close?
“I closed for all of April.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“The street is dead, on a Friday, Saturday it used to be three of us on constantly and
now one person can do a Saturday.
“I think a lot of people are readjusting, going back to work, and it’s the end of the tax year.”
“I’m not complaining because I’m still here.”
Pam Bayliss from Tides Boutique
Did you close?
“Yes it was about six weeks, from the 27th of March to the 11th of May and then came back and we’re working reduced hours.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“There is foot traffic but it doesn’t mean that people are spending. Coffee is a prerequisite, but they don’t need new clothes every day.”
Doughnut Time Owner Peter Andros
Did you close?
“Our online business was still doing good enough to keep open.
“Everyone was going for walks at the beach so there were a lot of people coming through this way.
“We’re lucky because we’re takeaway.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“It’s quiet, this place is usually crazy. To see so many car spots tells you everything about James St, you’re usually lapping the place three times to get a spot.”
Desire Owner Linda Fallon
Did you close?
“I opened when I wanted to for the time being and then I could see it picking up and it coming back to normal and people slowly coming back in shops.
“People come here for coffees and I’d open in the mornings sometimes, Burleigh is a busy
little hub.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“We’re up and running pretty much up to nearly where we were.
“We were a strong business for a long time, we came up and running again.”
Carmel’s family business Sarah Patchett
Did you close?
“I closed for four or five days.
“When we weren’t told that we had to, we stayed open and were quite flexible.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“It’s slowly getting there, things like JobKeeper, if we didn’t have that it would have been hard.”
Scoop Owner Jennifer Murphy
Did you close?
“We managed to stay open right throughout.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“Business is down, quite significantly for the month of April, March was a little down, April was scary down. May bounced back again.”
Home Sweet Home Owner Michelle Bushby
Did you close?
“I continued trading all the way through.
“I close on a Tuesday, so I put my staff member off and I work six days a week.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“Each weekend it’s built and built. I noticed last week and the week before when the school market reopened.”
Emporium on James Owner Kellie Shotton
Did you close?
“We closed for a couple of weeks in April.”
“We’re not essential, but we didn’t have to close, it was really quiet in the street so everyone was a bit anxious.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“It’s been OK. I think people are getting stuff done around the house so everybody is buying planters.”
Bodypeace Bamboo Clothing Manager Michelle Derrick
Did you close?
“We were the last ones to reopen so we actually closed for nine weeks.
“We just thought it was safer for our staff, just three of us.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“Surprisingly people are out spending money. When we got back we were crazy busy but this week has been quiet.”
Gold Coast Candle Co Manager Isabelle Li
Did you close?
“We closed for one month.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“I think we are OK – this week is quiet, but there are a lot more people around.”
Helen’s Heavenly Bulk Foods Owner Helen Gibson
Did you close?
“We were open the whole time.
“When Scott Morrison said ‘stop it’, it was madness.
“People were getting kilos of produce like rice and beans.”
How has business been since restrictions eased?
“I would think I’ve picked up people. I think people found me and I think they’re coming back.”
Originally published as How retail strip survived a pandemic
My son went to the doctor with a cold. Months later, he was dead
Henry France - a strapping, sport-loving 18-year-old just weeks away from finishing Year 12 - went to the doctor with a cold that wouldn’t go away. He was 19 when he died, leaving a gaping home in his family that will never heal.
Qld HECS debts to be slashed by $5k under Labor election promise
Queensland university students will have an average of $5350 wiped from their HECS debts under a proposal from the federal Labor government if it is re-elected this year.