Previously long-dormant shops in the northern New South Wales town of Murwillumbah are springing back to life with niche retailers boosting business confidence.
Key points:
- Trendy new shops are boosting Murwillumbah business confidence
- The town's business chamber has been hosting forums to build growth as an arts destination
- The aim is to keep Murwillumbah "authentic" to avoid becoming another Byron Bay or Gold Coast
The region was decimated by the double whammy flood disaster this year.
The losses and rebuild will be felt for years to come, but there are already green shoots of recovery.
Kat Harvey moved to the town from Sydney and had only just opened her cheese shop near the M|Arts precinct when the floods hit.
Keen to be near the Gold Coast but not live in Byron Bay, Murwillumbah provided everything she wanted.
"I saw the arts precinct and fell in love with it," she said.
Murwillumbah District Business Chamber president Rebecca Whan called it a "rebirth", with a string of new shops opening despite the flood trauma.
"It's been a catalyst to really propel new change and new growth," Ms Whan said.
The chamber has hosted brainstorming sessions to capitalise on the wave of business confidence and find ways to further promote Murwillumbah, and its surrounding villages, as an artistic hub.
Ms Whan said the key driver in attracting people to the region was its authenticity compared to places like the Gold Coast.
"Why would you be anywhere else?" she said.
Taking over an old butcher's shop in flood-prone South Murwillumbah, Donna Cooper has opened a clothes shop that also houses a mini art gallery with a tasteful lounge area.
"It's really building. It's a melting pot in Murwillumbah," Ms Cooper said.
Keeping it real
She said the character of nearby Bangalow, Brunswick Heads, and Byron Bay had all changed.
"I can't see us being like that," she said.
Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry praised the positivity of the new shop owners.
"They're bringing a real vibrancy. They're building on that clean, green image that we want, and the creative community that we have here," she said.