Bayside residents love their unique shopping villages.
Rather than head to large shopping complexes, the locals head to a fantastic mix of distinctly different retail strips.
And when they are finished shopping, they relax at a boutique bar, stylish café or upmarket restaurant.
Bayside is also a place to buy a new outfit, a distinctive piece of jewellery, a great hairstyle or an indulgent beauty treatment.
You can also while away the time at bookshops or ponder over fresh flowers and homewares.
And whether you want organic vegetables, fresh fish and boutique wines for a feast at home – or prefer to have somebody else prepare food for you – Bayside villages have it all.
Church Street in Brighton is one of Melbourne’s strongest performing retail strips with more than 168 thriving businesses. It is a classy mix of high fashion, exquisite food and entertainment.
A visit to nearby Bay Street in Brighton reveals an eclectic mix of cafes and restaurants, fashion, travel and gift shops.
It is also home to the arthouse Palace Cinema Complex.
Hampton Street in Hampton is Bayside’s largest shopping strip and mixes a lively atmosphere with friendly service and great eateries.
Sandringham Village is at the end of a train line from the city and features an increasingly interesting selection of homewares, fashion and food shops and cafes, as well as a large branch of the Bayside Library service. The Sandringham Village Fair and Farmers Market has only been held for the past two years but has been a great success.
Black Rock Shopping Centre, marked by a historic clock tower overlooking Port Phillip Bay, has some great specialty fashion, homewares and food stores.
The Concourse in Beaumaris has a great mix of fashion, homewares, groceries and professional business services.
Part of the shopping area near Highett railway station also falls into Bayside. It is increasingly popular strip featuring food, health and fitness and business services.
Business facts
- There are more than 11,000 businesses registered in Bayside
- Bayside accommodates an estimated 31,500 local jobs
- The City offers more employment than average (13.2 per cent compared with the Victorian average of 11.6 per cent) and more wholesale jobs than average (8.5 per cent compared with the Victorian average of 4.95 per cent)
- More than one quarter of the local working population both live and work in Bayside – and this is expected to increase, especially in professional, scientific, technical services and other creative sectors
- 71 per cent of Bayside businesses are micro to small businesses (i.e. they employ fewer than five people) and these businesses provide 20.1 per cent of the jobs in Bayside
- Only three per cent of Bayside businesses have 50 or more staff, providing 39.1 per cent of the jobs in Bayside
Council works with local traders to ensure each retail strip develops its own niche and cross-promotes their shopping strips at other local attractions and events.
