Intermittently (by which I mean, "ridiculously rarely, but I'm trying to improve that") I have been documenting places in my local area so that should they ever close down or move on there is at least some record of their existence when someone asks "Hey, what used to be there?". (And in the northern Illawarra in general and the suburbs of Thirroul and Corrimal in particular, that is more common than I'd like.) The series started out being called "Little Shops" but when I added locations that were neither shops nor all that little, the name changed to "Local Places".

Here's the first one for 2025, unfortunately.

Magnolia Collective was created by a local woman named Marty in January of 2019, according to her first Faceplant posts. It had been around long enough to accumulate some rust on the awning signs, which is something I suppose. Another coffee shop a few doors down didn't even see out three months.

The store sold, and I quote: "Beautiful clothes made from natural fibers to replicate a coastal lifestyle. Also incorporating classy seasonal styles that blend eye catching colours for all occasions. A selection of boutique style clothing for every woman."

It seemed to have a nice range of products, though (almost) obviously I've never been in there. (I say "almost" because one social media post mentioned selling menswear as well, but beyond that post I had never seen it.)

So what happened? What seems to be happening a lot in Thirroul. To quote from the business' relevant InstaSlam post:

"It seems to be my turn, another business bites the dust in Thirroul unfortunately. After 6 years 2 Covid lockdowns, 2 floods, this crucifying cost of living crisis and the rent hike of 30% I have decided not to renew my lease and close my doors in the next couple of weeks."

30%? Seriously? Something about a golden goose comes to mind.

I suspect that this will be an empty shopfront for a while.