Most of them dead, The rest of them dying. O'Connor shops trees

JC said :

chilli said :

No, I’m not suggesting a big supermarket (where would it fit anyway?), but a decent bakery and/or deli, maybe a good greengrocer, even a good newsagent/dvd rental store. Something to move further towards meeting local community needs rather than being primarily a bar/cafe precinct.

You obviously have your finger on the pulse of the community and identified what you think they need, best thing for you to do now is go get a loan and open said business.

Your either gonna be proven right and make a mint or more than likely find the demand really isn’t there and you will go broke. But if you believe then just go do it.

I would LOVE to be in the position to take out a loan and do just that … but the timing just ain’t great at the moment. And, apart from the old fish and chip shop, there doesn’t seem to be much retail space available.

Masquara said :

chilli said :

No, I’m not suggesting a big supermarket (where would it fit anyway?), but a decent bakery and/or deli, maybe a good greengrocer, even a good newsagent/dvd rental store. Something to move further towards meeting local community needs rather than being primarily a bar/cafe precinct.

Are you for real with these pie-in-the-sky suggestions? There was a newsagent at the O’Connor shops until the late 1980s. It went broke. The supermarket that went broke had a deli. There was a greengrocer at the O’Connor shops years ago. It went broke. There’s a greengrocer at Dickson – just about broke – you could support that one. There’s a bakery at the Ainslie Shops and one at Lyneham – how many bakeries do you think the inner north could conceivably support?
Don’t you have a hairdresser and a bike shop at O’Connor? Well, that’s your share of “community shops”. “Shop local” has to mean “shop all of the inner north” these days.

Things have changed in O’Connor/Turner since the 1980s – more people live here for one thing, alot more of them young. So just because something didn’t work in 1989 doesn’t mean it won’t work now.

To be honest, I have no idea why you’re so vehemently opposed to the idea that O’Connor shops could be improved. Even if you don’t agree with my ideas of improvements surely, as the dead trees indicate, things aren’t perfect currently.

chilli said :

No, I’m not suggesting a big supermarket (where would it fit anyway?), but a decent bakery and/or deli, maybe a good greengrocer, even a good newsagent/dvd rental store. Something to move further towards meeting local community needs rather than being primarily a bar/cafe precinct.

Are you for real with these pie-in-the-sky suggestions? There was a newsagent at the O’Connor shops until the late 1980s. It went broke. The supermarket that went broke had a deli. There was a greengrocer at the O’Connor shops years ago. It went broke. There’s a greengrocer at Dickson – just about broke – you could support that one. There’s a bakery at the Ainslie Shops and one at Lyneham – how many bakeries do you think the inner north could conceivably support?
Don’t you have a hairdresser and a bike shop at O’Connor? Well, that’s your share of “community shops”. “Shop local” has to mean “shop all of the inner north” these days.

chilli said :

No, I’m not suggesting a big supermarket (where would it fit anyway?), but a decent bakery and/or deli, maybe a good greengrocer, even a good newsagent/dvd rental store. Something to move further towards meeting local community needs rather than being primarily a bar/cafe precinct.

You obviously have your finger on the pulse of the community and identified what you think they need, best thing for you to do now is go get a loan and open said business.

Your either gonna be proven right and make a mint or more than likely find the demand really isn’t there and you will go broke. But if you believe then just go do it.

Masquara said :

chilli said :

Yeah, the ‘green space’ for O’Connor shops isn’t what it used to be. In fixing the problem, though, it may be a good opportunity to reinvigorate the whole area – including moving the Northside Contractors to potentially allow for more green space, parking and useful shops (the IGA’s monopoly is very tiresome – too little choice at too much cost) – and reconfiguring the green space so that the public toilets don’t hold pride of place.

There were two supermarkets at the O’Connor shops until the late 1980s. The IGA won out because it was a much better supermarket, with a really nice Italian migrant owner (whose kids still run the place). You can tell it’s well run because the staff are happy and friendly. Oh, and they order things in if you want them. If you want to shop cheap, garn, go and support the anti-union foreign multinationals, go to Aldi or Costco!

Actually, I’m happy just going to Lyneham shops and IGA.

chilli said :

IrishPete said :

Felix the Cat said :

chilli said :

(the IGA’s monopoly is very tiresome – too little choice at too much cost).

So you would prefer an evil Colesworth there instead? Or maybe an Aldi that is cheaper than IGA but only has half the brands? Or maybe a Supabarn with all their expired date food?

At least IGA sell some local produce. Trying finding any of that in a ColesWorth.

IP

No, I’m not suggesting a big supermarket (where would it fit anyway?), but a decent bakery and/or deli, maybe a good greengrocer, even a good newsagent/dvd rental store. Something to move further towards meeting local community needs rather than being primarily a bar/cafe precinct.

Even though O’Connor is my local, mostly I choose to do my shopping at Lyneham – better parking, better IGA (check out the range and the prices – they often carry IGA advertised and ‘manager’ specials that O’Connor never does), and a butcher, baker and newsagent that provide better products and service than any supermarket.

+1 for a decent bakery there.

chilli said :

Yeah, the ‘green space’ for O’Connor shops isn’t what it used to be. In fixing the problem, though, it may be a good opportunity to reinvigorate the whole area – including moving the Northside Contractors to potentially allow for more green space, parking and useful shops (the IGA’s monopoly is very tiresome – too little choice at too much cost) – and reconfiguring the green space so that the public toilets don’t hold pride of place.

There were two supermarkets at the O’Connor shops until the late 1980s. The IGA won out because it was a much better supermarket, with a really nice Italian migrant owner (whose kids still run the place). You can tell it’s well run because the staff are happy and friendly. Oh, and they order things in if you want them. If you want to shop cheap, garn, go and support the anti-union foreign multinationals, go to Aldi or Costco!

IrishPete said :

Felix the Cat said :

chilli said :

(the IGA’s monopoly is very tiresome – too little choice at too much cost).

So you would prefer an evil Colesworth there instead? Or maybe an Aldi that is cheaper than IGA but only has half the brands? Or maybe a Supabarn with all their expired date food?

At least IGA sell some local produce. Trying finding any of that in a ColesWorth.

IP

No, I’m not suggesting a big supermarket (where would it fit anyway?), but a decent bakery and/or deli, maybe a good greengrocer, even a good newsagent/dvd rental store. Something to move further towards meeting local community needs rather than being primarily a bar/cafe precinct.

Even though O’Connor is my local, mostly I choose to do my shopping at Lyneham – better parking, better IGA (check out the range and the prices – they often carry IGA advertised and ‘manager’ specials that O’Connor never does), and a butcher, baker and newsagent that provide better products and service than any supermarket.

So sure, I can (and will) just continue to shop there, but my point was that, as well as the need for some attention to be paid to the dying trees as observed by Johnboy, O’Connor could do with some improvements more generally, and this is merely my idea of what some of those improvements could be.

p.s. thanks JB for the reference to one of my favourite Pink Floyd songs. Actually, one of my favourite songs Full Stop.

IP

Felix the Cat said :

chilli said :

(the IGA’s monopoly is very tiresome – too little choice at too much cost).

So you would prefer an evil Colesworth there instead? Or maybe an Aldi that is cheaper than IGA but only has half the brands? Or maybe a Supabarn with all their expired date food?

At least IGA sell some local produce. Trying finding any of that in a ColesWorth.

IP

chilli said :

(the IGA’s monopoly is very tiresome – too little choice at too much cost).

So you would prefer an evil Colesworth there instead? Or maybe an Aldi that is cheaper than IGA but only has half the brands? Or maybe a Supabarn with all their expired date food?

sad.

Yeah, the ‘green space’ for O’Connor shops isn’t what it used to be. In fixing the problem, though, it may be a good opportunity to reinvigorate the whole area – including moving the Northside Contractors to potentially allow for more green space, parking and useful shops (the IGA’s monopoly is very tiresome – too little choice at too much cost) – and reconfiguring the green space so that the public toilets don’t hold pride of place.