Another in my occasional "Little Shops" series which seeks to document (perhaps not comprehensively but at least somewhat) changes in the urban environment around me.

Unfortunately, this is another "memorial" one.

Gloria Jean's was originally established in Chicago (by a woman whose name was indeed Gloria Jean), but the original owner has long since parted with the business. Although the brand exists internationally, the ownership varies between regions. In 1995, a former advertising executive bought the rights to the name (and the right to franchise the name) in Australia. The first franchise had opened in 1998, and by 2004 there were 185 stores owned and operated by more than 100 franchisees. By the late 2010s the Australian business was being run by a devoutly religious management. Some of the funding that they supplied to Christian political groups resulted in boycotts from various sections of society. That was less of a problem than the fact that in my view their coffee at the time tasted like dishwater. (It could be worse; it could be Starbucks.)

In 2014 the brand was purchased by a listed public company called Retail Food Group. Some time after that, I ventured into one of the stores with low expectations but found that the coffee quality had dramatically improved. Since then, I have been a regular visitor. When I worked in Pyrmont I used to grab a coffee and toast for breakfast at the Gloria Jean's near Town Hall, until one day the owners found that the locks had been changed which usually only happens if a business has been unable to pay its rent.

As can be seen from photos in some of my other galleries, when I moved down south I went to Gloria Jean's in Thirroul. That branch closed with 3 days' notice at the end of 2015. Then I went to Gloria Jean's at Bulli. While I was overseas (I think it was the 2016 trip to Europe), I was told that that one had closed as well. There used to be one in Warrawong. I can't remember when that closed, but closed it is. There was one in Figtree. Gone. There was one in Wollongong, though admittedly it was a bit of a hole in the wall. Gone, years ago. And that left Corrimal as the single remaining Gloria Jean's in the Illawarra.

At one time it would open at 6:30 AM which was great for an early breakfast. Later this was shifted to 7 AM because although there were a few early-morning regulars, they weren't enough to cover the costs of the extra operating time. That was still fine; a lot of people would drop in on their way to work and pick up a coffee, although the volume was such that it's hard to see how that time of the day would make a profit. It would occasionally be busy during the day, but again I'm not sure that if you multiply the number of customers by the average purchase price you come up with rent, staff, power, supplies, and other ancillary costs. Also, there have been extensive complaints in the media about the sort of costs that Retail Food Group locked its franchisees into, and not just those in the Gloria Jean's brand. They could only buy certain products through central suppliers (which doubtless give significant rebates to the franchisor), they were required to contribute to marketing costs, periodically they were required to refurbish the stores to the standards specified by the franchisor and so on. (And from the name on my credit card transaction receipts, it is clear that this was a franchisee business, not a company owned store.)

Obviously they were able to keep their head above water for much longer than many of their sister stores, but when I arrived there this morning there was a sign which read "NOTICE: No entry or removal of items. The owner has taken possession of these premises. Any entry requires the owner's consent. Items cannot be removed without the owner's consent. If access is required, please contact centre management." A guy who was waiting for the newsagent to open told me that yesterday the owner tried to open the store and found that the locks had been changed, so... deja vu all over again.

So that's it, another "little shop" gone, and the environment will be just a little bit different a few months from now. Some people may wonder "what used to be there?", especially if the shopping centre finds it difficult to get a replacement tenant. Which it may; with rising interest rates and an increasingly squeamish economy I don't know that there will be a huge appetite to put anything in there. The former dry-cleaning store on the other side of the car park from here has been vacant for the most part for at least 2 years now.

This one I will notice a little more than most since I would occasionally chat with some of the other regulars and baristas. One, I may still come across occasionally in the Woolworths supermarket, but it's entirely possible that I won't see the any of the others again. Whether any of us will still remember the others in 2 or 3 years' time, or whether we will even remember this coffee shop... Who can tell? Regardless, at least I've documented it in this gallery.

EDIT, 18 Feb 2023: Lazarus lives! After more than a week of closure, they returned to the land of the living. Will they stay in it? Time will tell.