Rise and fall of city’s stores
Openings and closures that shaped 2019 business scene
IT’S been big year for business in Toowoomba, with residents saying goodbye to old favourites while welcoming in the new. Here are some of the changes the city has witnessed this year. CLOSED: Baileys
TOOWOOMBA residents witnessed the end of an era in January after clothing store Bailey’s shut up shop after a century of operation.
The legendary clothing business, founded in Allora in 1903, marked its closure with a massive closing-down sale at its Ruthven St base.
Owner Lex Bailey was the fourth generation of Alexander Richard Baileys to run the store. He said a major supplier’s decision to cease wholesale trading was the trigger to close. OPENED: Chipmunks
THREE-and-a-half months after it wanted to start trading, Chipmunks Playland and Cafe was finally able to throw open its doors to the public in Febru
ary.
Based out of the Bernoth Centre, an NBN installation issue proved to be an obstacle for the children’s play centre. Luckily owners Lisa and Ian Bethune managed to sidestep the problem with help from Toowoomba’s Newlands Group, which installed a Wi-Fi antenna. CLOSED: Craig’s home hardwares
IN JULY, Craig’s Home Hardware owner Craig Stibbard closed the doors on his 25-year-old Highfields business after marketing and trade issues.
At the time, Mr Stibbard posted on social media saying: “This decision has not been an easy one and many a tear has been shed”. OPENED: Silly Solly's
MASSIVE discount store Silly Solly's claimed a space on Ruthven St in the Toowoomba CBD in November.
Once a major player in the discount arena, the brand that was made famous by Solly Stanton was reborn in 2017 and now boasts 15 stores. Its Toowoomba opening brought more than 15 jobs with it. CLOSED: Ziera Shoes
ZIERA Shoes revealed it would close all Australian and New Zealand locations earlier this month, putting its four Toowoomba employees out of
work.
The store was popular with people who struggled to find comfortable shoes or footwear that would fit orthotic soles.
The store’s last day of operation at its Margaret St location was last Saturday. CLOSED: Flannerys Organic and Wholefood Market
AFTER rescuing Toowoomba’s Wray Organic store from the brink in 2018, Flannerys Organic and Wholefood Market on Margaret St shocked customers with its sudden closure in November.
Customers were informed with a notice on the door. The closure came after Flannerys’ trading entity The Natural Grocery Company Pty Ltd was placed in voluntary administration a few days prior. OPENED: Max and Betty
FOLLOWING the success of their first store Coco and Blush, Laura and Dianne Paton launched Max and Betty at The Ridge Shoppingworld in July.
The newsagent and giftware-type store sells Lotto
tickets, cards, gifts, kitchenware and items such as jewellery, handbags and handmade soaps. CLOSED: Roger Salt’s Antique Furniture Specialist
AFTER nearly 40 years in the hands of the Salt family, the iconic building that housed Roger Salt’s antiques business in Crows Nest was placed on the market in March.
The decision was a long time in the making for Roger and his wife Natasha, who sold up to head to the coast.
“I think we all (draw a line in the sand) in one place or another. I think some people do it with a divorce, some people do it with selling a family farm or a building like this, or illness there’s a lot of different factors - but mine primarily is just that urge to have a change,” Mr Salt told The Chronicle at the time. OPENED: Toymate
CLAIMING the title of Toowoomba’s biggest toy store, Toymate opened at Grand Central in August.
The shop became an instant hit with the city’s kids, stocking
thousands of popular brands and 2019’s top sellers including Lego, Barbie, Play-Doh and Fisher Price. CLOSED: Harper Bee
GRAND Central retail store Harper Bee, which opened with the aim of empowering teenage girls, closed after two years in August.
The store was the brainchild of mother-daughter duo Janine Burford and Jessica Wood. Ms Burford said the store was not making enough to cover costs and the business has since moved online. STARTED: Kiddo
LOCATING a babysitter has been made a whole lot easier by Toowoomba mum Rebecca Dredge, who launched her new app Kiddo in July.
The app lists available babysitters, provides for a reliable payment transfer, and give parents details about the people caring for their kids. CLOSED: 3 Little Monkeys
BOUTIQUE children’s clothing shop 3 Little Monkeys, which opened in 2003, left the CBD in April.
In a post to their social media, owners Freda and Christine Coorey said they decided to close the store due to family health reasons.
Many customers shared their sadness at the closure. CLOSED: R & L Muller Smash Repairs
AFTER four decades in the business, the Mullers built up a great name for themselves, and it was with a heavy heart that R & L Smash Repairs owner Richard Muller announced he would close the store come end of September.
In a Facebook post, Mr Muller said he and wife Leanne would transition into retirement. OPENED: Brown Sugar Party Boutique
CELEBRATING its opening in June, the Highfields based Brown Sugar Party Boutique caters for weddings, bridal showers, children’s birthday parties, hen’s nights, baby showers and dinner parties.
The store brings in products from all over the world for these occasions.