Before Chatswood Chase, there was Lemon Grove. After 45 years, how is it holding up?

Beneath the faded signage on Victoria Avenue, Lemon Grove still draws curious glances - and loyal locals - decades after its heyday.

Lemon Grove opened in 1981, built by British property group MEPC. For a while, it thrived as a boutique fashion hub before the opening of Chatswood Chase in 1983 ushered in the end of the era.

The three-storey shopping centre was for a brief time home to high-end brands like Country Road and Laura Ashley.

“Shoulder pads, luxurious taffeta and huge teased hair”

One local, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Lorikeet she fondly remembered Shapers Fashion Boutique, which was run by a relative. It carried designer labels such as Trent Nathan and Studebaker Hawke and held fashion parades each September, ahead of “formal season” for schools.

“Shapers thrived in an era of shoulder pads, luxurious taffeta and huge teased hair,” she said.

Chatswood Chase’s opening marked the beginning of the end for many Lemon Grove boutiques, including Shapers.

“I remember the day Shapers closed on 13th March 1987 as a very sad one,” the local said.

MEPC sold Lemon Grove in 1993 to property developers who on-sold the more than 60 shops within.

Fake plastic (lemon) trees

A few years ago Reddit users came together to find out where the Grove’s iconic plastic lemon tree from the 1980s went, and if there were any images of the fabled plant.

“That place was a head trip back in the day,” one user reminisced. “I swear coffee under that fake lemon tree would break the brain of anyone less than sober. It had lemons the size of footballs. It clashed wildly with the background levels of poshness.”

The lemon tree is long gone, and Lemon Grove no longer stands out in Chatswood’s retail sprawl.

With an Asian food hub on the ground floor and its upper floors a mix of health, beauty and hairdressing shops, at midday the centre contains a pleasant bustle and appetising lunchtime aromas. Google is not quite on the ball, listing it as “a cosmetics store in Chatswood”.

No-frills alternative

The proprietor of Korean clothing boutique L’Armoire, which has been in Lemon Grove for 14 years, was doing the books by hand when she spoke to the Lorikeet on Tuesday. She said the food court attracted a lot of trade, and that she had survived for so long due to loyal customers.

Some shops are empty and available for lease. Lemon Grove presents as a less crowded, no-frills alternative to the overwhelming beasts that are Westfield and Chatswood Chase.

Natural light streams through the skylights way above above the food court, where fresh steamed dumplings are a steal at three for $7 at Chinatown Noodle Restaurant (est. 1991).

Under the skylight

Lemon Grove cleaner Bill has worked in the centre for 25 years, watching it change across a new millennium.

“It’s different every year,” said Bill, in between pushing chairs and tables back into place, removing food trays and sweeping up around the lunchtime rush.

“Lots of the upper floor shops are now appointment-only,” he added, gesturing to the darkened windows of dentists and law firms.

He appreciates the skylight and said he sometimes sees people sunbaking in the pools of light it projects in the middle of summer.

Thumbnail images author’s own.