Canberra's Chisholm Village Shows How Local Shops Thrive

In Canberra's Chisholm Village, the local bakery manager has discovered something refreshing: his neighboring businesses aren't competitors, they're teammates.

Nicolas Lecointe manages L'épi Artisan Bakery at the thriving Chisholm shops, just three kilometers from the abandoned Richardson shopping center. The difference between the two precincts tells a powerful story about what makes communities work.

"Everybody knows each other," Lecointe says. "We all know each other, and that's why we're here and why it's actually pretty good for us to be here, because it's a village."

The secret isn't complicated. Instead of competing for customers, the small businesses at Chisholm "add to each other," creating a destination where people want to spend time, not just money.

The ACT government recently announced $417,000 in upgrades for four local shopping precincts including Chisholm. The funds will improve pavements, landscaping, seating and bins over the next four years.

Lecointe sees opportunity in the investment, particularly for expanding the playground. "A bigger playground, I think, will be a big success for the community," he said, envisioning families gathering "around a coffee, around a baguette."

The Ripple Effect

The contrast with nearby Richardson couldn't be starker. That shopping center has sat empty since 2020, fenced off and deteriorating.

ACT Greens MLA Laura Nuttall represents the area and has watched what happens when communities lose their gathering places. "We just started to see a rise in antisocial behavior, windows smashed up," she said.

But it's more than vandalism. "From the community's perspective, they kind of lost a meeting place," Nuttall explained.

She points to what Chisholm has that Richardson lost: a "third place" beyond home and work where neighbors naturally connect. When people have somewhere to socialize near the shops, they stick around longer and come back more often.

The 30-minute walk between the two centers might seem short, but for residents without cars, it's the difference between community connection and isolation.

Even successful centers face challenges. At the Mawson shops, business owner Reece Travers deals with uneven footpaths and limited parking, but maintains loyal customers through quality and relationships.

The Chisholm model offers a blueprint: treat neighboring businesses as partners, create spaces where families want to gather, and remember that local shops serve a purpose beyond selling groceries. They're where communities remember they're neighbors, not just people who live near each other.