‘MALL BEAT US’ - SPEAKYS MOVES AFTER 43 YEARS:
GEELONG surfwear store Speakys is relocating into Market Square shopping centre after 43 years trading from its s Little Malop St premises.
Owner Nathan Lyons said the reputation of the mall had finally “got the better of us”.
“This used to be a destination store,” Mr Lyons said. “Not anymore.”
The mall has been a regular stage for youth violence and anti-social behaviour, and more recently the city’s homeless people have been sleeping rough in the area.
A daylight stabbing near the Moorabool St corner in January led to renewed calls to overhaul the troubled precinct.
Mr Lyons said neither he nor his staff had been harassed but shoppers were keeping their distance and parents keeping their children away.
A lack of other nearby retailers to create a better shopping environment had also affected Speakys, which is moving into a store next to JB Hi-Fi in Market Square.
Mr Lyons said the changing nature of retail meant that he could operate the surf, skate and ski wear business from a smaller space.
“The new store will have the best from in here and the best new surf products,” he said.
Speakys was started by Mr Lyons’ father, Terry, who — in 2006, following a stabbing in the mall — said something needed to be done to stop the anti-social behaviour that was “giving the place a bad reputation”.
“The problem is we need more police presence and we never see council officers out there,’’ Mr Lyons told the Geelong Advertiser. ``There needs to be a police station or shopfront in central Geelong that can sort out any complaints because by the time we ring police it’s all over.’’
This year, amid mounting pressure for authorities to rejuvenate the space, high-level plans detailing transformative works are under development by the State Government and have been seen by stakeholders and council.
Alfresco dining, fewer buses and relocating loading bays could be the keys to transforming the trouble-plagued stretch, according to the new plan.