Sydney ghost shops on rise thanks to economic gloom 

Ghost signs are a well-known city phenomenon. 

These are signs left behind when a business vacates a premises, but does not remove the wording which promoted that premises. Ghost signs can remain in place for many decades, such as this one-time neon sign for a former jazz club in Newtown.

Now a new phenomenon has emerged – that of the ghost shop.

The post-COVID era has been particularly brutal for many small retail premises.

High inflation and shrinking discretionary household budgets due to cost-of-living issues have created a poor environment for small businesses. Insolvencies are at record highs, and economic growth has faltered.

This in turn has meant that many high street small businesses are closing.

The twist is that many of these businesses are leaving their premises looking as though nothing has changed – which in part shows the rush of their exit. Price signs, glasses and cutlery and other fittings and tables have not been moved in, while the business has.

A separate group of premises were abandoned for reasons other than economic issues, but have been more difficult to lease in the current environment.

Below are some photos of current Sydney ghost shops.

The chairs and tables, still containing glasses and tablecloths, were left in place at this former pizza restaurant at Dulwich Hill.

The craft brewery industry has been particularly hard hit in the post-COVID environment. Here’s a former brewery in Marrickville.

Rockdale in southern Sydney contains a cluster of ghost shops. One is a bakery which a local told me closed around five years ago. However, it still contains stand-up labels with prices for tasty treats, along with the serving counters and baking trays (chocolate eclairs with cream for $4.50 anyone?)

It could have been that the restaurant was abandoned one day ago – not five years’ ago.

Rockdale also contains an abandoned grocer and banking premises, as shown below.

Randwick is home to one of Sydney’s most famous ghost shops – that of the former Santa Maria second-hand tile shop at Avoca St.

This shop was shambolic when open, with shoppers having to navigate their way through narrow passages between piles of tiles. The only way to find a tile you wanted was to ask the owner, or just simply look.

It’s likely that the shop has been closed for at least ten years.

Leichhardt, including its infamous Italian Forum, has also long been a home to ghost shops.

In June, Inner West Council voted to “write to the real estate agent that manages the Leichhardt Hotel site at 95 Norton Street, Leichhardt and through them, the owner, asking that they take immediate action to clean up the site, make it safe, attend regularly to maintenance and redouble their efforts to secure a tenant”.

Finally, here’s a snapshot taken in March 2024 of the inside of the shop of Con’s Handmade Shoes in Hurlstone Park. Kosta Anagnostou produced beautiful shoes from this site for 45 years, but sadly passed away last year.

His shop remains a cobbler’s paradise, just waiting for a new owner.