Italian Forum Fades Amid Rising Business Closures
Image: Exterior of Italian Forum in Leichhardt. Photo: Erin Modaro.
Sydney’s businesses are grappling with an growing wave of closures, raising concerns for the future of the city’s local shops and landmark areas like Norton Street’s Italian Forum, also known as ‘Little Italy’ and The Rocks.
Rising costs, declining foot traffic and a shifting cultural landscape are driving these changes, leaving communities worried about the survival of these historic precincts and their businesses.
Last remaining restaurant in Italian Forum closes shop
Last week, La Giara, a family-run Italian restaurant with a 25-year legacy, recently shut its doors. Citing dwindling visitors in Leichhardt’s once-thriving Norton Street precinct, the restaurant’s owners decided to sell.
Opened in 1999, La Giara was one of the original venues at the Italian Forum, a bustling hub of culture and cuisine at its peak.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, the owners mourned La Giara’s closure as one of the Forum’s last standing businesses. They also reminisced about the precinct when it was “lively, buzzing with life and vitality”, adding, “despite its challenges, it will always remain in our hearts.”
The Italian Forum, located just 5 kms from Sydney CBD, once boasted a mix of restaurants, shops and apartments overlooking an italian-style piazza. Today, only Valenti’s Restaurant & Cafe and Adri’s Cocina remain.
While La Giara is expected to open under new ownership, locals expressed frustration on SMH’s post, cursing the factors which “destroyed what made people come to those places”.
Many commenters blamed the Forum’s high parking fees–of $7 and up– and the traffic as key deterrents.
View this post on Instagram
One person recalled “ I remember the whole strip being filled with people to watch the World Cup. Now it’s a sad reminder of what we’ve lost as a city”
The shift is stark. “You could lie down naked in the middle of Norton Street at 5.30pm on a Thursday, and no one would know you were there,” said Ernesto Meduri to news.com.au, director of ItaSport in the Forum.
Meduri revealed that 99% of his business is now online due to declining foot traffic, adding, “A business closes every two to three months here.”
The Rocks feared as ‘dead zone’ following the closure of The Argyle
Meanwhile The Rocks is undergoing its own transformation. The iconic Argyle nightclub , which had been a local institution for 17 years, recently announced its closure. Although it will re-open as a restaurant, business owners fear the area is becoming a “dead zone” due to rising rent, cost-of-living crisis and falling trade.
View this post on Instagram
Maria Hair, a jeweller running Crystal Gallery for 37 years says to news.com.au the Rocks has lost its ‘uniqueness’, lamenting the steady disappearance of long-standing businesses.
Artist Shazia Imran noted The Rocks struggles post-pandemic, adding that most visitors, on whom the government measures the area’s success, are tourists who “look and don’t buy”.
“The government needs to do something to give us support. I am definitely worried about [the future],” she said.
The Argyle’s closure coincides with a year-long shutdown of the Mercantile Hotel for renovations, further disrupting the area and its appeal.
The NSW Department of Planning reportedly told news.com.au, they have “developed” a “Rocks Revitalisation Strategy”. Plans include heritage restorations and public amenity upgrades for George Street North.
Iconic fashion retailer ‘Katies’ closure to cost nearly 500 jobs
Adding to the strain, Mosaic Brands announced the closure of 80 Katies stores and other fashion brands like Miller and Noni B, cutting nearly 480 jobs by mid-January.
As costs mount and competition from online stores grow, residents fear losing the places that make up the city. Without intervention, the heart of these areas along with their memorable shops and owners risk fading into memory.
You May Also Like
