RETAIL slumps are nothing new.
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Nor are they something unique to Launceston, with Devonport, Burnie and Hobart all reporting slumps and low consumer spending.
In 2008, a once-busy street in Newcastle, New South Wales, was similarly suffering a retail downturn; a disused shopping mall, streets with empty shopfronts and an area scant of shoppers.
And so, the Renew Newcastle project was born.
The project allowed people to borrow empty shops and retail spaces that would otherwise remain empty, on a rent-free basis.
Renew Newcastle founder Marcus Westbury said it gave creative entrepreneurs a chance to experiment and develop business ideas.
``It is organised on a rolling short-term 30-day licence,'' he said.
``If the owner gets a better offer, they can get their building back within 30 days, but in the interim, someone gets a chance.
``It is a big deal for property owners, because having someone in the property makes it much easier to lease, rather than having a big empty row of shops.''
Mr Westbury said the bigger outcome was the return of commercial activity to the area.
``Often those businesses that do successfully develop and evolve end up as paying tenants,'' he said.
``I was in Launceston about a year ago, and there were a significant number of empty shops. It struck me as a good candidate (for the project).''
Cityprom executive Vanessa Cahoon said it was an interesting idea, but one that could create unfairness for existing businesses.
``I would love to see business that would offer some point of difference, or increase the diversity we already have in the city,'' Ms Cahoon said.
``But in a retail perspective, it would need to be looked at closely.
``You already have the existing business in the city doing it really tough, and in some cases paying quite exorbitant rents.''
Mr Westbury said in the Renew Newcastle scenario, business owners had become the biggest supporters.
He said the project was successful because a management team was developed, to ensure proper structures dealing with things such as insurance were in place.
``We choose projects that don't compete with existing business, and make sure that whatever is being added to the precinct is doing something new,'' he said.
``The person (renting free) covers the outgoings like any electricity, gas or other services, and they usually give the place a coat of paint.''
Ms Cahoon said she believed there would be property owners in the CBD willing to test such a project.
``They are a diverse range of people, so there might possibly be some people willing to look at it, particularly since we do have a number of rental spaces at the moment,'' she said.
Launceston City Council Mayor Albert van Zetten, who was familiar with the Renew Newcastle project, said it could be something that was adopted for a period of time.
``I'd be happy to see that, but it depends on the people who rent the places . . . property owners would want an economic return,'' he said.
Pop Up Launceston co-founder Kitty Taylor said she had already pursued the Renew Newcastle idea after attending a national arts conference last year, which led to the development of pop up shops in Launceston.
``One of the sessions was about councils working in collaboration with the arts for both economic and social development using existing unused infrastructure,'' Ms Taylor said.
``While Pop Up Launceston has been highly successful thus far, I have had no support to get it off the ground.
``Without support from council and other organisations it has been very difficult and limiting.
``Shop owners are concerned about public liability and insurance.''
Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Michael Bailey said further community discussion was needed to investigate the idea.
Mr Bailey said reinvigorating retail flow into the city was a must and any idea that attempted to do so should be supported.
``Certainly from a business point of view, ideas that fill those retail gaps and bring people back into the city are really worthwhile,'' Mr Bailey said.
He said new commercial ventures in the CBD would provide shoppers with another reason to visit Launceston.
``Launceston is hurting at the moment,'' Mr Bailey said.
``The North had more jobs in forestry than any other area in Tasmania, and that wealth used to flow through the city.
``We are not getting that turnover and flow that we got a couple of years ago.
``Some of these pop-up shops are really funky, they are new and exciting and quite often they work in product areas that don't exist.
``The greatest benefit would be that we have something new to be talking about in our community.''