Sanger St, once the heartbeat of Corowa, has declined in trade and foot traffic since the boom years of the ‘70s and ‘80s, with the iconic streetscape often feeling empty.
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The perception that Corowa can no longer supply what locals need is driving shopping to the bigger towns of Albury-Wodonga and Wangaratta, and as shoppers look for goods and services elsewhere, more shops close feeding a vicious cycle.
However, among the growing fear that Corowa is a dying town, there are green shoots of innovation and hope emerging for the future of its main street.
Peter Tait of Gyles Newsagency has been trading in Sanger St for 35 years and says traders need to embrace the idea that Sanger St is struggling.
“The demographic of a newsagent is changing; newspaper and magazine sales are down,” Peter said.
“I look around and see the shops that aren’t there anymore and think, ‘what are we doing wrong in town’?
“We’re not the only country town this is happening to, but locals need to be able to say 'I know where I can get that and I know I can get it in Corowa'.”
Katie Massari has been operating Poppy Emporium for 15 years.
She says business is down from previous years and it’s a lot of hard work to try and bring locals through the door.
“There’s no one pushing Corowa forward on social media; there’s little support from the local council to market the town,” Katie said.
“You’ve got North of the Murray, which covers the whole region, but there’s no one focusing just on Corowa.
“We’ve lost the tourists from Ball Park who used to walk up the main street and keep everyone busy, and that puts a lot of pressure on the town.”
Corowa Jewellry ceased trading at the end of January after more than 30 years in Sanger St, and the Shahi Darbaar Indian Restaurant has been closed since 2022.
Craft Junction’s Deb Rowe is closing her doors at the end of February, after little more than two years in business.
“I bought the business knowing that it wasn’t likely to make money, as long as it could cover costs and replenish stock,” Deb said.
“The first 12 months were great, but this last year has been quieter and I’m no longer achieving that basic need.”
For Deb, the most frustrating thing has been customer feedback since she made the decision to close.
“As soon as I announced that I was closing down, locals started telling me they didn’t even know I was here,” she said.
“People don’t walk up and down the main street anymore and see what’s there.”
Hope for revival
While some businesses have struggled to survive, there’s hope that Sanger St can be revived, with new businesses starting up, younger traders taking over existing shops, and current stores expanding.
A nail salon opened last weekend, Origin Clothing opened a second store near the post office, and popular café, The Green Bean, changed hands last year and reopened as Corowa Noodle House.
After changing its operating hours to include dinner, the business is now doing a roaring trade.
Alisha Coleman purchased café and coffee house, Barrel ‘N Brew 18 months ago and is staying positive despite admitting it’s been a massive challenge.
“This is my first business, so I’m still learning how to do a lot of things” Alisha said.
“But a lot of people don’t know we’re here.
“We have a lot of regular faces on a day-to-day basis, which is what keeps us going.
“It depends on what type of events are happening in town as to whether tourists come in.”
Alisha relies on social media to promote her business and uses Facebook and Instagram to boost the café’s profile.
Kylie Witherden of Thrive Boutique says there is a lot of variety on Sanger St but believes that between high rent prices and the locals not realising they were there, it’s been hard to stay open.
“If you don’t know what’s in your own street, how do we survive?” Kylie said.
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the locals who do know about us.”
Kylie first opened Thrive in 2022 in a smaller store just a little further down from her current location.
She has since expanded her product range and relocated to a larger store.
Filling orders online and posting nationwide has contributed to the expansion, although Kylie says the number of online orders she gets from locals is surprising, and cause for concern.
“They could save money on postage by coming down to pick up their orders, and then they would see all the other shops in the street,” she said.
Solutions identified, but support needed
Kylie Witherden and Katie Massari have identified methods to promote Sanger St businesses locally through social media and community-based efforts.
They started a chat group called ‘Sanger St’ for businesses to communicate and help each other through the day-to-day rigours of operating a business.
On Instagram they have set up @corowa_nsw, showcasing what is happening in Corowa to get locals out and about and bring more people into the town.
“The support from our business neighbours to help each other has been amazing,” Katie said.
“It’s been good to be able to keep everyone in the loop.”
Other initiatives to increase foot traffic include public displays of Christmas decorations, pre-Christmas late night shopping and buskers to entertain shoppers.
A new Christmas shopping passport was introduced last year where customers could get their ‘passport’ stamped when they shopped at participating stores and go into the draw to win a Christmas hamper.
These initiatives and more are organised and paid for by Katie, Kylie and other shopkeepers in Sanger St.
Kylie says it’s a lot of effort, but necessary, to keep up with the loss of tourists from the closure of Ball Park six years ago.
She said a little support from Federation Council to market the town would go a long way.
Inspiring locals lead the way
Local entrepreneur and recent Australia Day Local Hero Award recipient, John Crothers, has developed his own plan to help revitalise Sanger St and inspire others to follow in his footsteps.
Using his own business, Circa 1936, as a case study, Mr Crothers recently renovated the historic façade of the building as part of a donor funded Sanger St Revitalisation Initiative.
According to Mr Crothers’ publication, ‘Above the Line’, the initiative aims to improve the visual quality, heritage, character and economic vibrancy of Corowa’s main street through a voluntary, opt-in, heritage-led approach.
“Sanger Street is Corowa’s primary commercial and civic spine and a key first impression for visitors”, Mr Crothers said.
“The street retains strong Federation-era and inter-war heritage bones, however the overall presentation is inconsistent.
“(This is) due to ageing façades and awnings, mixed signage styles, limited coordinated investment over time, (and) lack of a clear, shared design reference point.
“Recent momentum, including private investment in façade upgrades, like CIRCA 1936, demonstrates what is possible.
“(It) encourages confidence among other owners and aligns public and private investment around a shared vision.”
The initiative focuses on the public-facing facades of the buildings and proposes that Corowa Business Chamber acts as facilitator.
Funding is contributed by anonymous donor partners, with participating building owners required to pay 50 per cent towards their individual project.
Corowa Business Chamber president, Greg Ley supports the premise behind the initiative and says the Chamber was treating Mr Crothers’ proposal as a pilot project by design.
“When you look down Sanger St, the immediate reaction for most isn’t positive,” Mr Ley said.
“That’s one of several problems we need to tackle here.
“Which is why we need to take a collaborative investment approach, because it’s so expensive.”
He said by starting small and building partnerships with local building owners and donors, the Sanger St Revitalisation Initiative has the potential to be scalable.
By combining revenue, investors can share the load for buildings that are clearly run down and signal to the market and community that Sanger St isn’t done yet.
“Let’s tackle this piece by piece,” Mr Ley said.
“Let’s get some momentum going and see what’s happening.
“If we can get a couple of projects over the line, revitalised and fresh, then we can garner the interest of the community to go down and check these places out and start shopping there again.”
Support from Council
Federation Council general manager Adrian Butler said that while the council operated within limited resource constraints, the commitment to working alongside the business community was always there.
“Council believes that even small, collaborative efforts - such as shared campaigns or active participation in community events, can yield significant results,” Mr Butler said.
“I strongly encourage business owners to engage directly with Council staff who are here to listen to your ideas, explore available support, and work together.
“This can include accessing information on grants or other advice on planning and business growth.
“We know retail is doing it tough right across the country, even in the larger centres like Albury, so if any business owners have any suggestions as to how they think Council can help further, please contact us."
Mr Butler said the council’s priority to assist Sanger St traders to market and promote the CBD was to ensure the street’s presentation remained a priority.
He also listed aesthetic upgrades to street furniture, major upgrades to the Corowa foreshore, significant funding for street sweeping, general cleaning and tourism promotion through North of the Murray, which is the highest accessed digital tourism brand in the Murray region.
Federation Council’s website shows the following government support for business.
‘Start Your Business Here’ is a council initiative, funded by AusIndustry, that assists with identifying rules and regulations businesses need to comply with.
‘Easy to Do Business’ is a partnership between Federation Council and Service NSW to simplify the process for locals to set up a café, small bar or restaurant.
Business Connect is a valuable resource set up to help new and existing businesses navigate the pitfalls of running a business in NSW.
The dilemma and the hope
Ultimately, Sanger St is caught in a loop; shoppers say that businesses aren’t open enough, but businesses say without people out on the streets shopping, they can’t sustain such opening hours.
Greg Ley says the Corowa Business Chamber believes that Sanger St is ripe with history and has the potential to be a vibrant and thriving district again, but it will take an all-in approach to get the job done.
With initiative, a whole of community approach, and a willingness for locals to revisit their main street, the heartbeat of Corowa may yet be revived.
Businesses looking to discuss potential initiatives or explore further support opportunities are encouraged to contact Federation Council via the official Council website or by calling the office on (02) 6033 8999.