RENEW Wagga to give new life to empty shop fronts on main street, boost foot traffic

RENEW Wagga is an initiative by Eastern Riverina Arts which will bring creatives of all kinds into empty businesses in Wagga for a temporary leg-up to existing businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Everyone from painters and photographers through to graphic designers and copywriters can opt to take up a 30-day 'rolling licence' with willing property owners while they search for new tenants for their store spaces.

Eastern Riverina Arts executive director Tim Kurylowicz said the program would be a "win-win" for the city.

"Everybody knows that there is a lot of gaps in the main street shops at the moment, so we wanted to work with those property owners to find a short-term solution to activate the street while also bringing in more foot traffic for existing businesses," he said.

"We are looking for property owners who are willing to let creatives trial their new business ideas rent-free, so it won't be an actual tenancy, and the shop owner can keep the 'for rent' or 'for sale' signs up to advertise the space."

Dr Kurylowicz said having creatives show off what the space is capable of may even inspire potential buyers or renters to take the plunge.

"Showing the space in action could really inspire ideas for other businesses on how they could use that building if they took up tenancy," he said.

"It's a win-win for existing businesses getting more customers, budding entrepreneurs getting a taste of what their business could become, and property owners attracting tenants to reduce the number of empty shop fronts in Wagga."

Eastern Riverina Arts' creative business officer Claire Harris said while all creatives were welcome, there was to be a focus on fresh ideas.

"We are really look for new ideas, entrepreneurial ideas, and ideas that don't compete with one another, but rather complement what already exists on the main street," she said.

Ms Harris said the RENEW model had been proven in the past, and was confident it would see success in Wagga too.

"I don't think people realise that the creative industry is about a $116 billion industry, and we are a big part of that in Wagga," she said.

"This is a model proven to be successful in other towns, it was rolled out in Geelong and started in Newcastle, and there really is a mutual benefit."

Eastern Riverina Arts is hosting a Christmas event at Romano's Hotel on Thursday, December 10, where attendees can information on how to be a part of the RENEW Wagga program.

To register to attend, click here.