I’ve just come back from a real estate conference in New York and this is the sale they are all talking about in Manhattan – an apartment at 15 Central Park West – which a Russian fertilizer billionaire named Dmitry Rybolovlev bought for $88mil for his 22year old daughter! They are saying he paid full price! It has shattered any previous New York record.

http://15centralparkw.com/

So amongst the doom and gloom we hear on the news all the time, there is a little bit of rosiness for you!

Locally, as the real estate market kicks into gear, we are all wondering what sort of year it is going to be.  Last year at this time, we had already had the Queensland floods and were about to experience the affects of the Christchurch earthquake quickly followed by the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown.  Understandably, everyone was very jittery.

The first auctions for our area are scheduled for Saturday 11th February so all eyes will be on these properties and before those auctions the Reserve Bank will meet next Tuesday, 7th February with all indications there might be an interest rate reduction.

However it turns out, Beach & Bay is looking forward to another year of assisting past clients and new clients in the smooth, stress-free sale or purchase of their property.

Finally a sunny morning to get out and do the Mall Report! With 16 days to go till Christmas the year is quickly coming to an end.

At the top of the Mall at the Pavilion, Santa is busy having his photo taken with pets, children and adults. A few have commented that Santa is a bit on the light side but we think he is just a fit, surfer version!

Cronulla Fruit Fair has freshly cut Christmas Trees for $70 and if you need to post Santa a letter pop into the newsagency near Franklins as the letterbox for express mail to Santa is being handled there.

As usual businesses in Cronulla Mall have been busy with closures and openings. At the Greenhills Display Office there is now a “for lease” sign in place, and a couple of doors down and upstairs Ray White Cronulla has now closed.

Mitre 10 is now bordered up with IGA set to open sometime in the near future.

Further down towards the train station, Rachaels By The Sea has vacated and the new South of the Border which has a shop next door overlooking Munro Park seems to have expanded into this corner space.

In Surf Rd the new restaurant opening – “The Old Library“ is in full swing, from all reports the food is amazing! I am there later today, can’t wait. Across the road, Cronulla Arts Theatre is almost gone and a major rebuild is underway. There are still a few vacancies down the southern end of the mall but after many changes this year this end of town is really taking shape.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I look forward to reporting on all Cronulla Mall’s happenings next year!

We were overwhelmed with emails and queries after our last blog regarding the latest restaurant opening in Cronulla ‘The Old Library’.  Here’s the accurate facts on ‘The Old Library’ and more importantly the contact details.

The owner of the new restaurant and bar in Cronulla is Mario Kalpou.

We welcome the chef, a proud winner of many hats at many different restaurants, Danny Russo.

The cuisine is Italian…

CONTACT:
9544 5360
info@theoldlibrary.com.au

Finally the 14 month re-build of Cronulla’s iconic old library building is complete. The Old Library will open for business next Thursday the 24^th November and will be open for lunch and dinner Thursdays to Sundays.

It’s a sophisticated space cleverly designed to allow diners the opportunity to taste the food sensations of a high calibre chef while relaxing in style.  A welcome addition to Cronulla’s food and entertainment scene – looks like a great place to have a memorable night out! Can’t wait to taste the food!

Its not often you see TV Crews in Cronulla but today as I started the Mall Report, Channel 7’s Andrew O’Keefe was chatting to George Gourlas at Crust Pizza for a feature on Weekend Sunrise (Saturday 12^th at 7:35am).

Next up I crossed the street to welcome the new owners of the long established beachwear shop Hazards. Congrats to Cathy & Kelly, what perfect weather to sell bikinis! The shop has all the latest swimwear and as an I Love Cronulla fan and Beach & Bay Realty blog follower they are offering 10% off all purchases in store next Tuesday the 15^th November.

Does anyone know Cronulla’s resident postie Jo? I said I was putting her in the Mall Report and she thought I was joking. Best postie in town! Always smiling and ready for a joke.

Heading south, the old Mitre 10 has had its asbestos roof removed and just to confirm the worst kept secret, this will be an IGA!

Across the road, the previous Chimere Women’s fashion shop is now a pop up store selling Ksubi, Something Else and Insight.  Opens today and will be running until the end of February.

Heading back up the Mall the latest sushi offering – Shinobu Japanese Restaurant is open with a limited time all sushi $3 special (formerly Delicious Box). Funky Femme next door is still vacant.

Christmas is in the air already, Stevie and Me has a Christmas window display and Hot Dollar is all about Christmas.

Not too many changes in the pedestrian part of the Mall. The old Fifi’s Chicken and Seafood Shop (next to LA Trend) is undergoing a major fitout but no idea what is going there.

Word on the Mall is that the new Cronulla Restaurant ‘Library’ site will open on November 17^th, can’t come soon enough, it looks fab!

Don’t forget – our Christmas Party & Charity night is NEXT SATURDAY November 20th at Sting Bar Cronulla. This will be a closed event on the night but we welcome Cronulla locals, clients and friends to join us in celebration. Tickets can be purchased from our office prior to the date and money raised will be donated to Swags for Homeless, our charity of choice. For more info see HERE.

I was only away for a month and so much has happened in Cronulla Mall, a big thanks to Rachael & Kirstie for doing this segment in my absence. With this weather I love any excuse to get out of the office and do the Cronulla Mall Report!

Starting at Monro Park there is a 5 week old shop called ‘South of the Border’, drop in and say hi to Vanessa who is providing us with gorgeous creations from Mexico and Thailand, shoes, dresses, jewellery, bags etc.

There’s movement around the corner at the huge ex Mitre 10 site which is having its asbestos roof removed in preparation for…I am not allowed to say yet!

Lots of business lockouts / closures at this end of town too, the clothes at Chimere are slowly being removed, Funky Femme is empty (The Newtown Funky Femme closed suddenly too) and Budapest Café & French Patisserie has a For Lease sign in the window.

We hear the landsales at Australand site at Green Hills Beach are still selling well, but the display office is empty as I walk past (everyone’s at the beach?), maybe the agents should use the hammock in the window to pass the time!

The fit-out inside the new wine bar – Cronulla Library – looks sensational and the Cronulla Arts Theatre is currently a construction site on the other side of the road.

Back in Cronulla Street, Shinobu Japanese Sushi Kitchen has a fit out underway (formerly Delicious Box); Stevie & Me has a new window display and seems to be doing very well. Further up the Mall, Mrs Watson’s is now selling Sonoma Bakery bread which is so delicious!

In Ocean Grove, Steve Kelly has opened English Laundry in Frangipani’s former shop. English Laundry sells men’s shirts and is open Thursday to Sunday and has a loyal following from years of being a wholesaler.

But the really huge news is Cronulla will, as of Tuesday 25^th October, have its very own Guzman Y Gomez! Owned by a local, Cronulla’s Guzman Y Gomez will be the biggest one yet and to celebrate they will be giving free burritos away between 11am and 8pm! They aim to give out 2500 burritos – which equates to 200kg of Chicken Guerrero, 200kg of tomatoes, 225kgs of vegetarian black beans and 150kg of avocados! The store is at 9-11 Kingsway Cronulla in the former Wok Star site and the finishing touches are being done as we write! The store seats 80 approx, is family friendly and also will be offering some boutique Mexican beers.

Finally, while we keep very busy bringing you the latest in Cronulla Mall and regularly updating our I Love Cronulla facebook – we do still sell real estate! And not just in Cronulla! The sale of the week goes to 17 Van Buren Circuit, Bonnet Bay. Both myself and Henk Emans had the absolute pleasure of selling this property for the gorgeous Byrne Family. It’s not easy being a vendor, and when you’ve got 3 young kids it takes a lot of patience, courage and determination! Congratulations to Anna & Mark Byrne!

NEW
To begin, I Love Cronulla wants to extend a warm welcome to 3 new businesses in Cronulla Mall.

Stevie & Me has had an almost cult following online over the last year. Selling adorable handmade children and girls clothing, the owner Anni Lowe has decided to set up shop in Cronulla. The new store looks gorgeous and all of the pieces are adorable and unique. I briefly spoke to Anni who was very excited about the expansion of her business – soon enough the shop will have a studio out the back so clothing can be sewn and hung up in the store within minutes!

Secondly, Begin Bright is a new early learning tutoring centre in Cronulla. The staff help young ones prepare for school & the centre offers a range of tutoring and confidence building activities.

Finally, from what I gather the unfortunate named Delicious Box will be replaced with a Japanese restaurant ‘Shinobu’. This will make it the 5^th sushi place in Cronulla proving it’s not just a trendy fad. We love our sushi!

The colourful new Frangipani Gelato & Café is doing well. I popped in and had a chat to one of the baristas and he said the gelato side was picking up now more people knew where they were. They will also be at Caringbah Markets this Sunday 27^th August selling mini gelatos. Oceans 7, the new fish & chip shop has been in the Mall a few weeks, we haven’t had a chance to try the food yet but I saw a sign saying FREE WIFI which is always a plus for me!

FOR LEASE
If you’re keen to open up a shop in Cronulla Mall there are a few options at the moment.

1. Old Frangipani Cronulla (1/2-4 Ocean Grove Ave Cronulla) is still available for lease
2. Chimere store (1/107 Cronulla Street Cronulla) available for lease
3. Rachael’s Boutique available for sub-lease (out the back)
4. Crazy Horse (103 Cronulla Street Cronulla) available for lease

LIVE MUSIC
The popular Inc Café now regularly has live music on Friday nights 7-10pm
Nearby Nulla Nulla have acoustic sets on Sundays

SALES
Nothing over $39 at Immaculate Collection
Everything $10 at Funky Femme (soon to be ICE Clothing if rumours are true)
20% off Bella Interiors

If you have any inside tips, we’d love to know! Email info@beachandbay.com.au with ‘Cronulla Mall Report’ in the title.

Until next time….

The leafy peaceful suburb of Bonnet Bay has a raging debate over the naming of one of its bush tracks, known by locals as “The Glen”. The Leader reported yesterday that Sutherland Shire Council has decided to go against the proposal to name the walking track in The Glen Reserve after environmentalist and former Shire resident Professor Tim Flannery. Professor Flannery has an association with the Shire after being a resident and losing his home in the bushfires of 1994.

Councillors Jan Forshaw and Kent Johns moved that the name be Bushcarers Track. Now the new name of Bushcarers Track will go out for public comment.

Bonnet Bay is known for its streets being named after American Presidents so maybe an Australian environmentalist named bushtrack might balance things out a bit?

In the meantime I’ll enjoy my chicken wrap at another important spot in Bonnet Bay, The Black Olive after my open house at 17 Van Buren Circuit, Bonnet Bay!

Finally the new Wanda Lifeguard Headquarters is taking shape. Late last year the slab was poured and then work seemed to stop. It was only months later that we were informed that the builder responsible for the construction at Wanda and Oak Park had gone into receivership.

The Council sign now says subject to weather conditions the project is anticipated to be finished in November this year.

The project will include a grassed area where groups like the nippers will meet, BBQ facilities, viewing platform, change rooms and toilets. Apparently the top floor of the new building will be the S.L.S.C Headquarters because of its proximity to the helipad and ease of access to parking and amenities.

With Australand’s Greenhills Beach land release sale officially launched this weekend, there will be a lot more people enjoying Wanda Beach. More infrastructure will certainly be needed so this project can not come soon enough.

In the meantime, if you go for a swim and nature calls you will have to make do with the portaloos.

I have been a little bit obsessed about the south end of Cronulla Mall in the last few months so today I am going to do an overview of the whole Mall and surrounds.

Beginning just off the Mall, opposite South Cronulla Beach and Park at 59 Gerrale St, “Eat” has opened after several restaurants have failed to make a go of it here (last resident was Hot Rox). The menu seems to be casual, burgers, pancakes etc. Good luck to the new operators of this venture, Naked Grape did so well in that position for so long.

Walking back up to Surf Rd, one half of the old library site is now at lock up stage with glass doors installed last week, looking really fabulous! I can imagine an October grand opening night and I so hope I get an invite!

Back in Cronulla Mall Funky Femme is really really milking that “End of Financial Year Sale” with nothing over $10 continuing into the 3rd month.

This week Greenhills Beach land release or as the sign says “Prestige Land for Sale” is officially on the market on Saturday 13th August. Will we see a return of the crowds lining up on Saturday at the display office to put down their deposits? Facebooks “I love Cronulla-ites” seem to be in agreement that interest for this is land is from out of towners. Comments welcome…

Marie Simmone’s shoe boutique has been closed for several months but now the signage is gone and the “Leased” sign is proudly in the window. That didn’t take too long. Home deco store is the word on the street but I am not convinced.

The Cronulla Pie Shop which has suffered several awning mishaps this year with delivery trucks, has had another 2 awnings installed, with not too much alfresco downtime.

At the top of the Mall and across The Kingsway, Rodizio – Churrasco & Tapas opened a few months ago. I haven’t tried it yet because I am currently a practising vegetarian (practising being the key word) but the fit out looks great.  Brazilian food hasn’t been a huge hit in Cronulla thus far and there is competition close by with the Rydges Mondo Tapas Bar across the road so will be interesting to see how it goes.

The temperature might have plummeted today but the weather has been absolutely sensational the last few weeks and reminds me why I love Cronulla in winter.  Didn’t Frangipani Gelato Bar choose the perfect time to re-open in Cronulla Street!