The Subiaco Antiques and Fine Jewellery owners said they were confident the suburb would start to blossom again after a lengthy downturn in business on Hay Street and Rokeby Road.
“The agents only recently started to wake up to the fact it’s not as good as what they’re telling their owners,” Mrs Gryg said.
“Everyone knows businesses have closed left, right and centre over the past 10 years.
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READ NOW“In the beginning it was because landlords were charging astronomical rent and all the big chain stores were coming in and paying those high prices because they could.
“But now that’s all changed and many have left, such as Suncorp Bank, and you know it’s bad when a bank leaves.”
Mrs Gryg said she and husband Eddie, a qualified jeweller, were celebrating a recent rent reduction after 14 months of negotiations with their agent.
“We managed to get it down by 4 per cent, which isn’t a lot but it means we won’t be shutting up shop,” she said.
“It’s actually back to about where we were 10 years ago.
“We are just off Rokeby Road on Forrest Walk which means it’s a bit cheaper for us, but I tell you what some of those shops out on Rokeby Road are paying over $100,000 a year; you could get cheaper on Rodeo Drive.”
Mrs Gryg said she did not believe football leaving Subiaco would negatively affect Subiaco.
“It will free up the carpark on a Saturday for people who are shopping in Subiaco, and hopefully they’ll spend more money here,” she said.