Croydon Main Street has experienced a period of change in the lead-up to Christmas, with the arrival of two hairdressers, a florist and a Thai massage parlour since September.

An ice cream parlour is also set to open shortly below Croydon Cinemas, as is burger chain Sideshow Burgers near the Croydon Town Square.

The changes have come as a collection of longstanding traders have retired and closed their businesses, including Hans Music, Jim Burns’ chemist, and the Croydon Jewellers.

Croydon Main Street general manager Samantha Bartlett said there had been “lots of changes very quickly’ as the strip continued its post-Covid recovery.

Ms Bartlett also said foot traffic was peaking in the lead-up to Christmas, despite eateries facing challenges to match their pre-pandemic customer levels.

’I think everyone is trying to build a new vibe,’ she said.

“What we need is some boutique giftware shops, and more clothing shops, that’s the vibe of what I get back from customers,’ she said.

“There are people everywhere, the (multi level) carpark is nearly full, and it’s taken a while to fill up, so it’s a good indication that people are coming back to Main St.

The changes on Main St come as its longstanding newsagency hits the market, with the owners selling the building, but remaining as tenants.

Burgess Rawson and Associates partner Beau Coulter said he had received interest from a variety of Melbourne-based investors who “like the strength of the main retail strip there’.

Mr Coulter said he expected the building to sell for between $1.7m and $1.8m, and the new owners could expect to earn more than $88,000 per year in rental income from the newsagency, which is located in between Littorio’s cafe and The Ten Saints bar.

Kiel Egging, The Herald Sun