Lawrence Dry Cleaners/St. David’s on Firth – Arncliffe, NSW
Those expecting Lawrence are going to be sorely disappointed. The Lawrence dry cleaning company was founded in 1939 at Waterloo, and prides itself on being “the most trusted” dry cleaning and laundry company in Sydney. After betrayal like this, I don’t know if I can back that up.
The sign instead directs those hopefuls with dirty laundry to this church op-shop. The last thing they need is more clothing in need of a wash.
El Rancho Pottery/Pure Flow Bottled Water – Ryde, NSW
It’s sad to say, but themed businesses are really on the way out, if not already extinct. Back in the boomtime, El Rancho Pottery cared enough to maintain their Mexican theme by putting cacti in the front garden of their otherwise drab Porter Street location. Think about that – a pottery barn went the whole enchilada so to speak, and established a theme – an old west atmosphere in which to buy garden products. They cared. Hell, they even cared enough to set up on Porter Street in the off chance some dork would one day make a tenuous connection between the words Porter and pottery. Does Pure Flow care enough to draw in customers with so much as a fountain? A water feature? One of those water coolers? No.
Yet El Rancho is the past life here. It just doesn’t add up.
Then again, water does rhyme with Porter…
Petersen’s Quality Butcher/Nagas Mixed Business – Arncliffe, NSW
I’d hate to see a low class deli.
Mixed businesses are the street shop equivalent of duplex homes. Covered now as it is in cheap phone recharge offers, this place no longer seems as ‘high class’ as Old Man Petersen once boasted. I wonder if Lebara would let you keep a six digit number?
Marble City/Corner Coffeehouse – Beverly Hills, NSW
Gee, Corner Coffeehouse, that’s an unusual amount of marble you’ve got happening there. Why–
Oh. They must have taken down the part of the sign advertising ugly brick facades.
Longhurst & Andrew/Pancakes – George Street, Sydney NSW
Established in 1934, Longhurst & Andrew is a security firm specialising in locksmithing, alarm systems and surveillance. This address on George Street, just beside the Event Cinema complex, used to be its registered office. Now, it’s a pancake shop. Do we as a society care more about liqueur pancakes than we do about security? ‘Yes,’ we reply with our mouths full.
Past/Lives of the Near Future 