End of an era for Byron shopfronts

INDEPENDENT clothing store Bay Active has become the latest Byron Bay business to announce its closure, following the recent shutdown of Bella Rose Gelateria on Jonson St.

Bay Active owner Helen O’Carroll said that she had made the “bittersweet” decision to close the retail space on Lawson St on August 25 and transition the business to an online platform. The store is offering discounts of up to 70 per cent in the lead-up to the closure.

O’Carroll, who launched Bay Active in 2015, said that the combination of COVID-19 lockdowns, the 2022 floods, high rents and the road and drainage upgrades by the Byron Shire Council had made maintaining the shopfront untenable.

“We have moved a few times due to unworkable lease negotiations,” she said. “We relocated to Lawson Street in May 2024. The council roadworks were supposed to be completed in April, but they finished in November.

“We only just survived COVID and the impact of the floods, but being so small, we cannot compete with Westfield and national stores that have a head office to manage difficult trade periods. The roadworks were the last straw — people could not access the store without intimidating, deafening noise and air pollution.

“Some lucky business owners were offered 50 percent rent reduction, but unfortunately we were not one of these. Even then, some of those businesses had to take out loans to survive.”

O’Carroll said that the expectations of modern shoppers — particularly in relation to cost — have shifted dramatically. “Unfortunately, the ‘more for less’ proposal does not apply to small business,” she said. “All outgoings remain the same or are rising. A friend and café owner said to me recently he was working longer hours for less money than ever before.

“We know things evolve and communities develop, but the changes occurring in this little town are out of step with the essence I think people visit here for. Small independent businesses have been the heavy lifters in Byron, creating the ‘Byron experience’ for visitors

The retail landscape has shifted forever, with fast fashion now dominating — maybe this is what people actually want, I’m not sure.”

O’Carroll said that her regular customers were saddened by the news. “They have all said that they will miss the retail experience we loved to offer them and have expressed dismay at what is left on offer for them in Byron,” she said.

The closure of Bay Active follows the recent shutdown of Bella Rose Gelateria, which also faced stiff competition from several other local gelato stores. In a heartfelt tribute posted on Instagram, the owner’s daughter, Rose Jurd, celebrated her mother’s dedication to the business.

“My mum is an absolute diamond to have run this business with such integrity and energy and passion for so long,” she said. “So many challenges and big cultural shifts in the town. She’s been there through it all. I’m excited for Mum to put her feet up now, but sad for Byron to no longer have Bella Rosa on Jonson St.”

The closure trend extends beyond small businesses. Bank of Queensland recently announced it would close its Byron Bay branch on Fletcher St on September 4. The bank cited the increasing shift to digital interactions as the reason for its reduced physical presence.