In the 13 years that Renay Horton has operated her floristry business on Wentworth Street in Port Kembla she has seen, by her count 86 businesses come and go.
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On top of that, the former vice president of the Port Kembla Chamber of Commerce says she's been around for two proposed revitalisations of the industrial suburb.
This time, she says, things are different, and there's a feeling of permanent change in the air.
"The property prices here reflect that people are really discovering what Port Kembla has to offer."
While the median property price in Port Kembla remains below the median for Wollongong, the suburb has experienced significant growth, and the days when the area was known for drug busts and prostitution may be behind it.
Former president of the Port Kembla Chamber of Commerce and advocate for the area Ian Fulford remembers how the suburb used to be.
"People were smashing bottles in the main street, it was like a pigsty," he said.
Through efforts from locals, Council and others, this is no longer the case, but Mr Fulford also highlighted that with the rise in property prices, change was bound to occur to the commercial strip.
"People with money thought hang on, this town does have potential and is improving. There is a renaissance in Port Kembla."
Chris Weedon is one of those that are part of this renaissance.
The former truck driver decided that now was the time to go out on his own and start his own business, and he chose Port Kembla to do that.
"I had this idea to start up a motorcycle shop and [Port Kembla] was the first place that I looked at," he said. "I looked at Wollongong and even up at Thirroul, I looked around everywhere and came back here."
Mr Weedon's business, Black Metal Motor Co, on the corner of Wentworth and Fitzwilliam streets, retails Mutt motorcycles and Mr Weedon said Port Kembla was the perfect fit.
"They're from the UK, from the steel city of Birmingham, and this is the steel city [here in Port Kembla]. It had the right feel and the right vibe to it."
Starting a new business is always a risk and both Mr Weedon and Ms Horton, even a decade apart, had their share of doubters, but Mr Weedon, who is originally from Sydney, said the suburb had the feeling of the inner-west suburb of Newtown 30 years ago.
"I think the potential for this street, and where people want it to go, it's on the precipice of something [great]," he said.
Seeing the suburb develop over the past decade as a business owner, and longer than that as a local, Ms Horton said she was always confident that the area would come into its own, and that the recent announcement of The Wentworth only solidified her vision.
"This is genuinely in my opinion where the cool kids are going to be."
Perhaps in part due to Port Kembla's reputation over the years, the main commercial strip remains without a major chain retailer. In addition, many of the buildings have retained their art deco facades and recessed entryways, giving Wentworth Street a uniqueness not necessarily found on other high streets.
Both Mr Weedon and Ms Horton said the mix of businesses is part of what attracts them to the area, and they hoped that they could contribute in part to the varied commercial texture of the suburb.
For the commercial segment of the suburb, challenges remain. Mr Fulford highlights the issue of connecting Port Kembla's biggest drawcard, the beach, to the town centre.
"The street is not getting the benefit of the thousands of people going down and using our pool and our beaches. We have to link these features at the beach to the main street itself."
Ms Horton said that as the demographics of the area changed, commercial tenants may have to rethink their business model.
"The kind of clientele here in Port Kembla has changed. These people want sustainability in the kinds of products they buy, whether that be flowers or coffee."
Now more than half a year since opening Black Metal Motor Co, Mr Weedon said that the future of his store and Wentworth Street was not just about having a product to sell, but about creating an experience different from shopping malls. As well as selling and servicing motorbikes, Mr Weedon plans to utilise the courtyard for live music and said that already he's seeing the growth of a community along the street.
"I am mates now with people that have come in here, and they come in a couple of times to have a chat."
Just before our interview, Ms Horton is wrapping up a bunch of flowers for a regular, who lets her know how his latest Tinder date has gone.
"When they come back, we ask, 'How did it go?'," she said. "I love that."
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