Blockbuster, Borders, McEwan’s – the long lost stores we used to love
Do you remember shopping for clothes at Venture, picking up some tools at McEwan’s or buying a walkman at Brashs? Yep, times have changed — and they are not the only stores Melburnians have lost over the years.
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Buying a walkman at Brashes, grabbing a book from Angus & Robertson or Borders or choosing five weekly movies for $5 at Blockbuster or Movieland — times sure have changed over the years.
Here are some of the long lost shops we used to love.
BLOCKBUSTER, VIDEO EZY, MOVIELAND VIDEO STORES
Children today will never know the joy of going to the local video store on a Friday or Saturday night and picking out a movie. Movieland, Blockbuster and Video Ezy stores used to be dotted all over Melbourne. But with the rise of streaming services including Netflix, the stores began to close down.
Leader has documented the closure of the last remaining stores over the past few years, including the final store in the outer east, Leading Edge Video on Warburton Highway, Yarra Junction, which shut last year. That followed the closure of Network Video Mooroolbark, January 2018; Network Video Brentford Square, Forest Hill, November 2017;
Video Ezy Boronia, January 2017; Video Busters Bayswater, January 2017; Video Ezy Wantirna, Ferntree Gully, Rowville and Kilsyth, 2014; DVD Destination Tecoma, 2014; and
Blockbuster Knox, 2014.
BRASHS MUSIC STORES
Ask people what their favourite old store is, and Brashes never fails to get a mention. The stores were part of many suburban shopping centres including Eastland and Knox City, selling CDs and records.
In 1997, the Daily Telegraph reported Brashs was celebrating its 135th birthday — and plans were already in place for the next 100 years.
But sadly the following year the company fell into receivership.
Brashs was one of the nation’s oldest companies, employed more than 1600 people and had 113 stores dotted around every state.
Its founder Marcus Brash set up a business called Marcus Brash & Co in the late 19th century.
By 1927, Brashs had become a Melbourne home-entertainment landmark when it added the new-fangled gadget, the wireless, to its range of musical instruments.
Brashs’ range of products went on to include home-cinema and surround-sound equipment, digital video disc players, walkmans and discmans.
BORDERS, ANGUS & ROBERTSON BOOK STORES
What book lover could forget Borders, huge stores packed with titles to browse, along with CDS and DVDs. Comfy couches were provided for customers to sit and enjoy a quiet moment with a magazine or novel. But the story was cut short when owner REDGroup Retail, who also owned Angus & Robertson book stores, entered voluntary administration in 2011. That year, after 125 years of bookselling, Angus & Robertson become an online only store.
MCEWAN’S HARDWARE STORES
Before Bunnings, there was McEwan’s hardware stores. According to its website, James McEwan & Co once dominated the hardware retailing scene in Victoria. One of its advertisements in the 1990s had the catchy jingle “We’ve got what you’re looking for”. You could buy a whistler kettle, with a bonus 100 Tetley teacup bags, for $16.99, and a family iron for $35.95. The last store was rebadged Bunnings in 1993. On Knox Leader’s Facebook page Rob Jenkins said he used to love McEwans before Bunnings eventually bought it out. “They had a store at Knox City when it first opened located where the centre court is now,” he said.
“I used to buy my hardware and tools there and still have a socket set that I purchased there when the Knox store was closing down to move to a bigger site with a nursery on Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully in the building Pet Barn and Whole Food Merchants are now located.”
MASTERS STORES
Seen as a rival to Bunnings, Masters home improvement stores opened in Australia in 2011. The huge distinctive blue buildings popped up in several Melbourne suburbs with shelves packed with thousands of products. But the stores closed in December 2016, after owner Woolworths decided to pull the plug.
VENTURE DEPARTMENT STORE
The department store chain operated in Australia from 1970 to 1994, with outlets at several locations including Knox City shopping centre, Clayton, Keysborough, Vermont South, Dandenong and Boronia Mall. On Knox Leader’s Facebook page, Narelle Thomas said her first part-time job was at the Venture store at Knox.
“It was a family friendly environment both to work at and shop. From memory (it sold) clothing for the whole family, including underwear and shoes with some manchester and homeware,” she said.
Tracey Adams said her first casual job was at the Keysborough Venture store, back when there was no Sunday trading and the store closed at lunchtime on Saturday.
Dragica Arambasic said: “Remember getting my first pair of blue jeans from the Venture store in Coburg. I think I was about 10 at the time. Spent many hours wandering the store with my very patient mum, to find things to spend my pocket money on. Felt so grown up paying for it myself.”
Julianne Polak remembered going to Venture at Forest Hill as a child.
“I put on lay-by my very first Cabbage Patch doll and my mum would take me there each week to pay some money off it.”
FOY & GIBSON DEPARTMENT STORE
The Foy & Gibson department store used to be on the corner of Bourke and Swanston St.
The Herald Sun previously reported the store was popular with shoppers during the Christmas rush in the 1940s and 50s. A giant Santa used to sit out the front of the store, which also had a beloved rooftop Christmas fun park, which featured rides, ponies and a petting zoo.
The business was sold to David Jones in the 1960s and Woolworths bought the building.
On Knox Leader’ Facebook page Vicki Bauer also remembered Moores Department Store, which used to be at the intersection of Chapel St and Malvern Rd Prahran, where Prahran Central is now.
KLEINS JEWELLERY STORES
Before Lovisa and Collette, Kleins used to be the go-to store for teenage girls to get their jewellery fix. Cheap and colourful items, including best friend locket necklaces, were among the popular items at the stores, where you could also get your ears pierced. The Herald Sun reported in 2008 that the debt-laden retail chain was set to close its operations in Australia and New Zealand, leaving more than 100 employees redundant.
The 26-year-old company went into administration owing more than $25 million.
All of Kleins 35 company-owned stores and 130 franchised stores in Australia were closed.
WORLD 4 KIDS AND TOYS ‘R’ US
Being a child in the 1990s got a whole lot more exciting with the opening of Toys ‘R’ Us and World 4 Kids stores. There was aisle after aisle of goodies ready to explore at the huge warehouses. But the good times didn’t last. World 4 Kids closed in 2002, while Toys ‘R’ Us was the biggest toy store chain in Australia when it collapsed in May 2018, shutting all 44 stores and owing creditors $95 million. It relaunched online this year, and according to its website is aiming to establish new experiential stores from 2020 onwards.
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