After twelve years in operation, KD’s Antiques have closed the doors of their Canungra location.
Owner Desley Bird has been in the antiques business for 30 years and was operating out of an antique centre in Brisbane before she opened the Canungra store, which she described as a gamble.
“It was a very different town then,” said Desley.
“There were hardly any retail stores in town at that time.”
“Come school holidays the town would be dead, you could almost shut your shop up it was so quiet.”
KD’s Antiques averages 1500 people per month in the shop and has a large number of regular clients.
Prior to her lease coming up for renewal she began to talk to the agent, however the rental offer was approximately a 280 per cent increase on the current lease.
“We expected an increase, because we have had exceptionally reasonable rent, most of us in this centre have been here for a long time. But not that, not in this economic climate.”
After negotiating for several months, Desley decided it was time to close the doors.
“We are devastated, we really are quite devastated.”
“But the landlord is within his rights to charge as much has he wants. That’s not the issue, it is just I’ve chosen not to pay it.
“He has a business to run and I have a business to run. He’s made a decision and I’ve made a decision.”
Desley will have some time off in December and will consider her options in the new year.
“We will reinvent ourselves somewhere, somehow, some way.”
“We all love this business.”
“I’m not done and dusted yet – watch this space.”
