Image credit: Good Decisions.
Business owner, architect and District Coordinator for the Newtown Enmore Precinct, Heleana Genaus, shares her vision for the District's future in this interview.
Newtown and Enmore have long been the blueprint for vibrant, after-dark districts in NSW – from King Street’s bustling mix of bars, restaurants and vintage clothing stores to Enmore Road, dubbed one of the world’s coolest streets and NSW’s first Special Entertainment Precinct. However, places like this don’t simply appear; they’re shaped from the ground up by their communities.
One of the seminal figures shaping Newtown and Enmore right now is Heleana Genaus, Co-Founder of Rising Sun Workshop and District Coordinator for the Newtown Enmore Precinct.
“Rising Sun Workshop is a communal DIY workshop space for motorcyclists to work on their own machines, supported by a 90-seat restaurant,” Genaus told us.
“We started as a pop-up in Newtown, before moving to our permanent location in the same postcode, which is where we've been now for almost 10 years.” Rising Sun Workshop came to life in 2013 through a crowdfunding campaign, led by Genaus, which saw over $40,000 raised by 160 community members who wanted a space to connect and work on their bikes.
It’s this same spirit of grassroots community improvement that has animated Genaus’ career, which now includes her role as Secretary of the Newtown Enmore Business Community (NEBC) and, for the past 2 years, being District Coordinator of the Newtown Enmore Precinct, an Uptown District working with local businesses to enact areawide change and collaboration.
“With the Special Entertainment Precinct unfolding over Enmore Road, we really felt the absence of a united voice within our business community. I became the Secretary of the NEBC, and through that governance structure we were able to take advantage of the opportunities emerging through the [Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner’s] Uptown Program,” Genaus said.
Designed to support the growth of going-out hubs across NSW, the Uptown Program provides capacity-building workshops and funding to business collectives, so they can focus on a unified, areawide approach to consumers and the going-out public, rather than a disparate approach as individual businesses.
I know the precinct well, and what works and doesn’t, because I’ve lived it. That makes a massive difference in earning local business owners’ trust in our ability to deliver as a united business voice.
“The Uptown Program helped us to create a campaign that was uniquely us, designed by business owners for business owners, in consultation with the NEBC membership. The uptake [of new members] has been quick because everyone sees value in what we’re doing.”
Since becoming an Uptown District, one of Newtown Enmore Precinct’s first actions was to launch TOWNMAG, a free, biannual magazine to tell the story of the area and the businesses within it.
“We're, in a way, taking a stand on what kind of businesses are actually invited here. We're not promoting corporate chains, we're promoting Clem’s Chicken Shop, a family-run business who has been here for 43 years. If I were to try to describe our editorial approach, it would be to prioritise local, independent businesses and a great story.”
Image credit: Good Decisions.
At the magazine’s centrefold sits a stylised map of the District, designed to help visitors and locals navigate the area with ease. It divides the District into five5 boroughs, each with its own branding, colour palette and iconography to reflect its character.
The idea for the map draws directly from Genaus’ perspective as a registered architect, where city-making and wayfinding are central.
“[City-making is] a place-based approach to making cities… formed by the people actually using them on a day-to-day basis,” she explained.
“Too often cities are shaped in the name of progress, which can be shiny and new, but leaves out Country, the community and the story of a place etched into the environment, both built and natural.”
In addition to the support provided by the Uptown District Acceleration Program, the map was brought to life through consultation with Inner West Council and City of Sydney, as well as a Business Sector Support Grant from the City of Sydney.
"We have Australia Street, Enmore Road, North and South King [Street], and Erskineville Road, and they each have their own unique identities within the whole. The map’s now [displayed] at the train station, and we’ve committed to updating it twice a year. As new members join, we can tack them onto the map and reprint it.”
Image credit: Good Decisions.
Only just last week I saw a very elderly man who had the magazine opened at the map page, trying to find his way.
The first run of TOWNMAG saw 4,000 copies printed, and Genaus doubled that number for the following issue which launched early December. “We’re going to expand it a little more, include more business owners and content, and place the magazines in businesses across the precinct.”
Turning to the future, Genaus has 2 key priorities for the District.
“Nicer streets and footpaths, more trees and more thoughtfulness around the city. Planning that helps people meander, stay longer, spend a bit more, make it easier to get here by transport and so on,” she said.
This vision feeds into her second goal: drawing more people into Newtown Enmore Precinct in a way that reflects its identity. “[We want] visitors to find us on our terms, with Newtown positioned as a place where you come as you are and tell your own story.”
This work is already well underway. “We’ve got heaps on the horizon – activations coming and more advocacy across the board. Not just from me, but [Odd Culture’s] James Thorpe, NEBC’s President, is incredibly active,” Genaus explained.
“[Young Henrys’] Oscar McMahon is also a steady voice. Min Chai of Toyko Lamington is our Treasurer, he's wonderful and keeps the reporting clear. Lucy from All Buttons is our Public Officer and was a core member of the previous chamber; she is our oracle of wisdom. Musician and performer, Josh Shipton, is an Executive Member and brings the sole trader and artist perspective to the table. There's no sign of us slowing down or the demands decreasing.”
When asked if she had any advice for other Districts, Genaus kept it simple: “Build the trust and respect of the local businesses upfront. That's paid dividends.”
“We want [local businesses] to know that Newtown is in good hands and that the reason they came and opened a business in Newtown is honoured, because we understand what it takes to do business here and that we speak the same language.”