In 2021, Renew Australia partnered with Cairns Regional Council to enliven Cairns City Centre by transforming empty shopfronts into creative spaces. Renew Cairns ran for three years, giving local creative businesses, artists and makers the opportunity to operate out of a commercial space.
How it works
Renew Australia works with the local community, property owners and representatives, to utilise vacant commercial spaces and make them available to creatives and entrepreneurs, who will be able to trial their business, project, or ideas in a commercial setting. The property is provided on a rent-free basis via a 30-day rolling license, and offered to a business that compliments, not competes, with existing businesses in the area.
Renew Cairns is designed to rejuvenate areas experiencing significant commercial vacancy through increased foot traffic and activity, whilst supporting Cairns’ local creative and entrepreneurial communities. By advocating for, and developing projects that will draw people back into this area via events, workshops, exhibitions and classes, the Renew Cairns Project will benefit existing local businesses and traders.
The Renew Cairns Program has now wrapped!
Some of our shops are still around in Cairns CBD. Check out House of Kindred, Rose Mercer Jewellery and Artists @ Work.
For any enquiries, please contact the Renew Australia team via email – space@renewaustralia.org.
Find out more
To understand more about our projects and to see what Renew Cairns was all about, follow us on socials – Facebook, Instagram, or sign up to our email newsletter.
You can also read all about what the program achieved here!
