by Janine Hill

WHEN the doors of Brown Sugar Espresso at Nambour closed last Thursday, proprietor Tracey Reno breathed a sign of relief. 

No longer would she have to struggle to make dwindling income at the small Mitchell Street café to cover rising outgoings.

“It’s just, basically, there’s not enough flow of people,” she said simply. 

Tracey had gone into the café on a good rent deal and with her eyes wide open, prepared to work hard to make a go of it, but that was not enough.

“I knew what I was up for,” she said. “But the Council moved out, down to Maroochydore, and Sundale, which had its office around the corner, they moved back to their own premises,” she said. “That was my bread and butter that left. They were the ones coming in buying coffees and toasted sandwiches.

“It was nothing for me to take $500 before 10am and now I can’t make $500 in a day.”

Tracey said business was usually quiet post-Christmas, in hospitality and retail, but things did not pick up this year.

“It’s just got harder for everyone. There’s the interest rates. Times are tough,” she said. “Back in the day, mums used to walk in and ladies would come for lunch. You might get the ladies come in for lunch now but it’s only once a month.”

For now, Tracey will concentrate on the catering which she was doing on the side and has not ruled out doing market stalls with some of the collectibles she also sold in the cafe.

She made a point of saying she did not want her story to reflect negatively on Nambour, where she has lived all of her life. 

“Nambour’s got the Presynct, it’s got The Vogue. We’ve got to keep the positive vibe going and stick to being positive. 

“It’s hard. I don’t know what the answer is.”

Brown Sugar is one of several business losses for Nambour so far this year.

The Crafter’s Heart in Price Street and the Gourmet Storr bakery at the upper end of Currie Street have both gone, and Majestic Cinemas and Sunshine Coast Pinball will close on 21 April.

Although the owners of The Crafters Heart and the Gourmet Storr declined to comment, their reasons for closure are understood to be different to that of Brown Sugar. 

Majestic Cinemas announced last month that a planned refurbishment at the C-Square complex would make it too difficult while continuing to try and trade out of administration.  

The owner of the adjacent Sunshine Coast Pinball has decided the cinema closure and refurbishment will be too much to endure on top of what has already been a tough time in business.

No simple answers as businesses grapple with challenges

While some Nambour businesses are closing, others are making a go of it.

Nicole Hoffman opened Banksia Espresso on the corner of Ann and Lowe Streets last year and the business is going strong.

She said some businesses were doing well in Nambour but was aware that others were not, and said it was hard to pinpoint what was going wrong. Her rent was reasonable but she said other rents had gone “through the roof”.

“I don’t know how that can be changed. I don’t know what level of government can make that change,” she said.

Nicole said empty shopfronts in Nambour did not help, nor did the look of the town, which was something business owners and landlords could do something about independent of the council’s streetscaping plans.

“I don’t like to play a blame game. We’re all responsible for different things. As a business owner, I see myself responsible for my little area to make it look clean and inviting, so that it presents well and the place looks great,” she said. “If we all did that, I’m sure it would look a better town.”

Nicole was also supportive of the construction of medium density units in central Nambour to bring more people into town.

“I think if you’ve got people living in the CBD, they are going to shop in town,” she said.

Peter Walsh, who unsuccessfully ran for a spot on council last month, said there was no simple way to make Nambour thrive.

“I think it’s a complex issue but unless we start to do something, we are going to continue to see more business closures. I think the endless meetings and conversations that don’t lead to positive change or outcomes is far from optimal,” he said. 

Mr Walsh who has served as a police officer in Nambour for over 17 years, said he was aware that “anti-social behaviour by some in Nambour has prevented some residents coming into Nambour to shop”.

“This has resulted in reducing the level of support for some local businesses.” 

He said all three levels of government needed to look at what could be done to assist Nambour. Key issues such as homelessness, community safety and business closures needed to be urgently addressed. 

Additionally, the development of strategies to encourage key industries or infrastructure to come to the town was vital, such as a tertiary  educational instruction or medium density dwellings that would bring people daily into the town. 

“We’ve had great work done with ‘Reimagine Nambour’ and ‘I Am Nambour’ who have started some great conversations and actions however it will require all levels of government working together with this community to see Nambour thrive once again.”

Nambour CBD growing over time despite recent closures: Cr Law

by Cameron Outridge

Despite some recent business closures, the Nambour Central Business District was experiencing growth and positive investment over time, according to Division 10 Councillor David Law. 

While acknowledging the closures, the recently re-elected councillor emphasised the importance of not losing sight of the town’s progress on several fronts.  

“I want everyone to be focusing on the growth and the positive things that are happening here because that will encourage others to come,” he said.

He highlighted the success stories of new businesses and expansions, urging the community to support and encourage further investment in the town. 

He pointed to several businesses that had recently moved to bigger and better premises in town, including Hammond Optometry, Nambour Outdoor Power and Onya Bike bicycle sales and repairs shop. 

Several new businesses had recently opened or were in the process of opening, including Saint Atlas antique & vintage store on Bury Street, a new bakery on Currie Street, Shadow Craft Tattoo in Queen Street, Namcore in Howard Street, and a new health service also in Howard Street. He said Banksia Cafe, on the corner of Ann and Lowe Streets, was another recent success story.  

He said there were more occupied shop fronts in the CBD now, than when he began his first term in March 2020, and that was despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“One of the things I did over my last four year term was to monitor what was happening in the CBD. And over that four years, there is more occupancy now than there had been. And that was despite a lot of unusual issues because of Covid. But even with Covid, there are more full shop fronts than empty compared to 2020. I will continue to monitor that.” 

Cr Law said the new businesses and relocations indicated a positive trend and demonstrated the town’s growth and potential.

“So these things show that people are coming in to Nambour and new businesses are investing in the town.”

Recently opened ‘The Precynct’ and ‘Vogue Theatre’ venues indicated definite progress on the entertainment and nightlife front.

Meanwhile a burgeoning markets scene also pointed to an evolving and eclectic CBD.

Cr Law acknowledged the closure of Majestic Cinemas and the knock-on effect on Sunshine Pinball and stressed the importance of focussing on the human stories behind them.

He commended the Chamber of Commerce for their efforts in promoting the town’s potential.