. If there’s anything else that melbourne is famous for apart from it’s food and coffee culture, it would be shopping. And i’m not just talking about the generic lines of clothing shops such as Sportsgirl, Cotton On, Supre, Dotti and more recently Zara. Melbourne was famous for its secret little clothing boutiques tucked behind quiet lanes.

These precious boutiques would usually carry a selection of cute and trendy clothing by local and international designers.. and perhaps what makes the shops more special are their interiors. Depending on the owners individual taste and creativity, the shops would usually have quirky designs.

ive managed to cover all the main streets that the shops are located in the city in one day. Most of the old ones have gone bankrupt. At first i thought it was just me… turns out that i was right, my friends who are in retail here confirmed that retail in melbourne, is just as good as dead.

A friend that runs a boutique here somewhere in the city used to earn approximately $30,000 a month and this has significantly reduced to only 10k-15k/month. which is crazy kan? The aftershocks of the 08 Global financial crisis was the major culprit for this but things have been made more difficult with increase in property/shop rentals . Despite the fact that the australian economy is now at its highest point, ever since the global financial crisis, it was a bit too late, the damage has been done.

The main players in the industry (the more generic brands) would have the $$ to continue on and flourish, but the small businesses (the boutiques, what melbourne is famous for) have no choice but to close shop.

I’ve also noticed how the quality of material that some of the shops use have been significantly downgraded. The impact is evident on the fashion industry especially when you’re in a business of selling something that is not a NEED but a WANT.

bagus la i guess no shopping for me! it’s ok. im fine to just veg out on the couch in front of nawa’s big ass tv the whole time im here 😀

kiss me.