Shelves were being stacked, mannequins were being dressed and food stores were preparing to feed thousands of hungry shoppers on Wednesday, ahead of the official opening of Wollongong Central.
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The long-awaited Keira Street shopping centre will officially open its doors on Thursday to an anticipated 40,000 visitors keen to check out the new complex.
Coles will open its doors at 8am while Wollongong-born fashion stylist Donny Gallea will cut the ribbon for the city’s first Target store at 8.45am.
The official opening ceremony at 9.30am will launch a day of festivities, which include an all-day street festival and live entertainment.
Shoppers can drop by for rides, Symbio Wildlife’s petting zoo, Priceline Pharmacy’s pop-up health checks and free styling and fashion advice.
In-store parties will be held at several outlets, along with market-style food giveaways and live cooking shows outside Coles, a wooden car workshop for the kids and the chance to meet Bananas in Pyjamas.
Accent String Duo will perform near Country Road between 11am and noon.
The opening will conclude with a DJ and city night light spectacular show from 8pm.
A mix of events will continue over the weekend, including the Mercury’s ‘‘old meets new’’ booth, which gives people a chance to see themselves on the front page of the paper.
This week, the Mercury got a sneak peek inside the new centre, which will offer 80 new fashion, fresh food and lifestyle retailers, along with several new eateries.
Shoppers can expect modern furnishings and open spaces with pops of colour, courtesy of bright floor tiles and coloured chairs.
The shopping levels are connected by a huge three-storey art work – Velvet Water by Maria Fernanda Cardoso – made of more than 40,000 nylon rods, all flooded with natural light.
See Thursday’s Mercury for souvenir liftout The Keira Street Story.
