Window shopping has a new meaning — interested business owners only.By Shaun Inguanzo
TO the newcomer, Dandenong’s Vanity Arcade is an empty shell of gutted shopfronts.
But to the longtime observer it is a distant memory of what Dandenong’s street shopping strip once was.
The arcade stretches from Thomas Street through to Lonsdale Street, and other than the handful of businesses that remain faithful to the position, it is empty.
Dandenong Retail Traders’ Association (DRTA) chairman Roy Aspinall said when he arrived 26 years ago to begin trading in Dandenong, the arcade was a bustling venue full of coffee lounges and delicatessens.
“I believe it is one of the first arcades ever built in Victoria,” he said.
Mr Aspinall was at a loss to explain how the arcade was transformed into an empty shell.
“In the early days it had a Coles supermarket next door and a lot of buses stopped there and people would walk through.”
Mr Aspinall said Dandenong Plaza and buses now stopping in Thomas Street could have affected trade in the arcade.
But while many ponder its downfall, the focus is now on sprucing the old goose back into shape.
“There have been a lot of thoughts at different times,” Mr Aspinall said. “One suggestion that would be ideal is to make it a samples and seconds area, like a factory outlet.”
“The DRTA would like to see something happen. It would be great to see it up and thriving again. But what that answer is, I don’t know.”
