Friday 8 April 2016

The End of an Era

Tomorrow will be the last day of trading for one of our city's oldest fabric stores where personalised service was the order of the day. I only found out this week that the store was closing its doors tomorrow and I just had to venture down to the CBD to say goodbye. Sabas had been operating for more than 80 years and I can still remember the current owner's father selling high quality fabric when I first moved to Toowoomba many years ago. There were many fabric shops here in those days prior to Spotlight and Lincraft moving to the area. One by one, they have closed down which is sad as the owners knew their product well and were able to advise customers about what to buy.



I felt quite saddened to walk into the store past the empty display windows to find hardly any stock left. The owner was pleasant as always as I bought a few metres of fabric (despite the fact that I am currently fabric stash busting) and I wished him and his wife all the best for the future. 

I rarely go into the CBD as it is so difficult to get a park  but while I was there I thought I would have a look around and see what I had been missing lately. There have been quite a few changes I must say. 

Toowoomba is host to First Coat which is an event when artists do street art on the walls of buildings around the CBD. I always intend to get a map and have a walk around to look at the various paintings but never have. I did come across a few today and some are more appealing to me than others although I am in two minds about the whole issue of spray painting over old buildings. 

 


This was the first one I saw which reminded me about First Coat and this one was at the top of what used to be a dingy little laneway between shops but has been transformed into a trendy cafe precint.



The artists have a bit more imagination than I do...




...and a lot more talent too as I can't even draw stick figures :-)



 If you are into street art then the First Coat festival is on from the 20-29th May and from reading the website it looks like there will be guided walks around the CBD to view the paintings.



 I wondered what else I had missed so took a walk down to the new city library as I wanted to check out where the after hours return chute is as you need to know those little snippets of information don't you? LOL! Well, if anyone else who lives in the region didn't know either it is in Victoria Street which is around the other side of the library from the entrance. Before I got there I walked through a park which was full of aboriginal art. I am not sure what the park is called but it is in Little Street if anyone is visiting and wants to take a look.





I also came across this on the way to the library and I have no idea why it is there except to make me wonder who took off with the 'I'. 






 

One of our largest shopping centres, Grand Central,  has expanded and is building an absolutely huge extension and just walking past it made me feel like I was in Brisbane as there was so much noise and activity. I like the quiet life and the 'country' feel of our city and I do hope it doesn't get too much like the bigger cities. You can see the construction progress here which I just had a look at and it made me quite dizzy.

 


The external panelling is going up on the bridge across the street which incidentally is where some of the CBD flooding happened during the 2011 floods.




The panelling is a mustard/copper colour and I wondered if that was to complement the copper panelling of the new library just up the road. 

The CBD is really bustling and I was thinking how the region seems to be booming with the unemployment rate in Toowoomba at around 4.6% and there seem to be building sites everywhere. Plus the new Wellcamp Airport has been hugely successful and the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, which will soon be started hopefully, will provide 1800 full time jobs. 

Then I read Annabel's The Bluebirds are Nesting about what is happening in South Australia with the possible closure of the Whyalla steelworks which could put thousands out of work. Obviously all is not well in all regions of Australia whether in the city or in the country as much of our state of Queensland is still drought declared. I think we are very fortunate to live where we live and I appreciate our beautiful region very much and try not to take it for granted. 

How are things where you are living? Have a great weekend everyone!

 




20 comments:

  1. I think the missing "I" in imagine is so you can put yourself in the concept of imagining. The artwork is truly wonderful.

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    1. Phil, I thought that might be the case. LOL!

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  2. It can be sad to see old shops go. Until very recently, there was a greengrocer in a complex that I frequented regularly but now, he and his wife who ran their little store together, are gone after many years. When I saw him packing up and said my goodbyes, he wasn't bitter ... just sad to see his livelihood gone.

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    1. Meg, we still have a few independent greengrocers thankfully. We live near the Lockyer Valley where veggies are grown so there is no lack of good produce around here. No, the owners of Sabas weren't bitter either and I noticed on the local TV news last night that they didn't want to speak on camera.

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  3. I went thru trying to find a decent fabric when making a small jacket to go over the dress I was wearing for my g'daughter's wedding a few weeks ago. bought some at Lincraft but was not happy; trying hard to think where to go (tried S'light and Hannas too) remembered the quite shops! Found just what I wanted at Quiltcraft!

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    1. Hi Grand ma. I just had to ask Mr.Google where Quiltcraft is and I realised I drive past there all the time. I try to avoid going into the Patchwork and Quilting shops in case I get sucked into another addiction. LOL! When I did a search I just found out that Sew Handy is in the Northlands Shopping Centre too. I didn't know that.

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  4. It's always sad when a 'longtime' ( and usually family owned and run) store closes. I've never really liked the big stores like Spotlight and Lincroft as they generally lack staff who are knowledgeable about the products they sell. And I've noticed that the quality of the products is not always good either and the range of items is not as large as you'd expect. My local Spotlight often has big gaps in their range of zippers and ribbons...such basic items. I was very interested to read about First Coat as I'd never heard of it before...sounds great! And it was lovely to see the photos of Toowoomba.

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    1. Maria, on my last visit to Lincraft the floor where the yarn is was unstaffed but there was a notice on the wall saying that a staff member would be there every second Thursday if anyone had any questions about yarn ;-)

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  5. That is very sad about the boutique fabric store. I only get to shop at Spotlight once a year and there is no one to talk to about what fabric is suitable for a project. You are on your own in there. When I go to my little local store they help decode American sizing and go the extra mile for good customer service. Very caring.

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    1. I am glad you have a local store to help, Zena. Personal service is so nice.

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  6. Just as well one of your readers alerted you to the existence of other fabric shops, Chel! We have had them come and go around my suburb over the years, but hopefully the new Quilt Shop will be a stayer, as it is already gaining a name around Melbourne among the quilting fraternity!
    Can't say I am a fan of 'street art', if they are so good why don't they just paint on canvases like real artists?

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    1. Gina, we have a few Quilting Shops and I think patchwork and quilting is probably quite popular. They do stock lovely fabrics but they are quite expensive.

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  7. Funny, we've had one just open in our small town. Specializing in quilt fabrics and I think they run a few classes too. Spotlight and Lincraft are 50 kms from us so hopefully she'll do alright. We had another fabric shop for years but she has gradually pared it back to only one day a week or by appointment.

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    1. My daughter lives in a small town and there used to be a fabric shop but I am not sure if it is still open. There are no Spotlight or Lincraft stores there so I guess everyone has to buy online.

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  8. While I like Joann's and Hobby Lobby for fabric, I have found some of the most interesting fabrics in small quilting shops all over the country and they become fun souvenirs of places I have been.

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    1. I think you are a quilting fan from memory, Kathy. You would enjoy checking out those quilting shops as you travel.

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  9. It's always sad to see a family business close down, particularly those with a history of excellent service - you certainly don't get that at Spotlight - you won't get the quality either!
    How are things where we live? Well, we live in one of the currently largest growth corridors in the state, it's kinda busy! Housing estates branching further and further out, eating up the paddocks and open land as they go. We still hold onto the dream of moving back out to the country, far away from the city.

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    1. Kelly, I am pleased that things seem to be booming there as well as here. It is hard to keep a balance though isn't it. I have always liked the country feel of our city and would hate it to become just like the big cities.

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  10. Our town shops are mostly empty now. Either due to big business or being over taxed. It is really quite sad as this town has so much potential.
    While I was reading about the artwork(which by the way is really well done--very talented artists) I read -- wonder who took off the T not I. The little thingies that quote the letters makes it look that way to me.
    Good thing I have new glasses on...LOL . Imagine what I would be seeing then. :)
    Thanks for sharing.

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    1. That is so sad to see isn't it? Our CBD has its share of empty shops in some areas too.

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