ONE of the most anticipated new tenants to Sturt Street is getting closer to opening its doors.
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Fashion label Country Road has confirmed its Ballarat store is on trend to launch in mid-October.
The Courier reported in January a lease had been finalised with the Australian Brand to operate in the historic property, that once housed the state bank and later the Victorian Chambers of Commerce, on the corner of Camp Street.
Renovations to the property have been capturing attention in what has been billed a potential key driver to attract new prominent tenants in an ongoing revival for central Ballarat shopping.
This comes amid concerns about an ongoing significant overhaul to the Bridge Mall.
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The historic, landmark Camp Street property was sold for about $2.1 million sight-unseen in June 2021 to a Melbourne couple on the first day pandemic travel restrictions were lifted on the state's capital.
Less than a year later the property was back on the market to generate interest in a potential sale or to find a leasee. The commercially zoned property was remodeled and extended in 1978 then refurbished in 1999.
A changing scene on Sturt Street had been emerging before the pandemic with popular lifestyle store Provincial Home Living completely transforming the corner of Sturt and Armstrong streets in what had previously been a tired-looking book store.
Boutique perfumery Sweet Fern and Wildflower florist Kristy Tippett have since relocated to the precint, the latter to the ground floor of the old Unicorn Hotel. That historic property, dating back to the mid-1800s, was bought by the team behind luxury accommodation Hotel Vera a year earlier.
Nearby, major home goods destination retailer Minimax opened in the Bridge Mall in November 2022 as part of a long-term redevelopment for the shopping spot.
A spokesperson for Country Road confirmed in January the Ballarat store would feature products across all lifestyle ranges: woman, man, child and home.
Country Road's parent group also boasts its fashion brands Mimco and Witchery in Ballarat. Both moved into Central Square in the year before the pandemic.
A selection of Country Road products had been available via Myer Ballarat until 2018 when the Country Road Group entered an exclusive deal with department store David Jones.
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