New ticket for abandoned North Adelaide railway station
New creative tenants have been confirmed for the North Adelaide Railway Station, bringing life back to the heritage building after a long six years.
A group of artists are planning to open the old station, a State Heritage Place that has sat vacant since café and retail store Red House Vintage closed in 2019, as Sharehouse.
Adelaide City Council has welcomed the move having previously said the building’s heritage status has made it a challenge to lease, with operators restricted from removing walls or altering its layout.
But for new tenants and artists Alycia Bennett and Olivia Bellow, the history is part of its charm.
Alycia says it “ticks all the boxes” for what they were after for their artist-run initiative, and they haven’t had to do any major demos, leaving rooms as artist studios.
“In terms of lots of space for artists to be involved and have their practices in, and facilitate events, plus being surrounded by park lands…it’s just perfect, really,” Alycia says.
You might like
The duo, who will co-direct the new venture, have assembled a collective of artists to make Sharehouse a hybrid gallery, studio and concept store.
The artist-run initiative has a beauty and fashion offering too, with Olivia’s Cut Sick – haircuts that Liv says are for “the bold, the broke and the beautifully defiant” and Alycia’s Extra Hard Nails.
Alycia has a background in carpets and textiles, but has recently added nails to the extension of her multi-disciplinary practice and says offering beauty services by appointment is a way to sustain the business.
“It’s always the smaller galleries that are going to eventually fade out just because it’s really hard to sustain that if it’s just art,” Alycia says.
“So we thought that we’ll try something a little bit different, and try and bring in some local business practices that we can also share.
Subscribe for updates
“We’ll also have a retail area, so artists and local producers are welcome to sell their things in the curated art market.”
The two beauty offerings are joined by Grit tooth gems, along with Mildly Wild vintage clothing.
On the coffee front, contemporary artist Mark Valenzuela and partner Anna O’Loughlin will serve Background Noise – an ethically sourced, micro-roasted small batch coffee.
Each cup of coffee won’t be machine-processed, opting for filtered V60 and batch brew, from a blend grown and processed in the Philippines, and served in ceramics Mark has made himself.
The spot is a Renew Adelaide space, with the not-for-profit leasing it from the Adelaide City Council for 12 months to activate the dormant space.
Renew CEO Gianna Murphy says the space is Renew’s 330th supported venture and captures the brand’s ethos of creating a third place – somewhere outside the home and workplace for community to gather.
“Sharehouse exemplifies exactly what Renew Adelaide exists to do – fostering collaboration, experimentation, and community connection, and providing the ‘third place’ that’s become ever-elusive in modern times,” Gianna says.
It comes as Renew is expanding its North Adelaide presence, with two new spots inside the North Adelaide Village also soon to announce tenants, and hopefully capitalise on increased foot traffic and the opening of 88 O’Connell Street.
Sharehouse is slated to open in late September, from Wednesdays to Saturdays and Fridays ’til late.
