Fashion retailer closing Pakington St store after 20 years

Uglisista owner Jacinta Matlock said the decision to close the doors came with great sadness and the future of her Torquay outlet remained uncertain.

“No one’s shopping,” she said

“They can’t even afford to eat, pay rent or car insurance.

“There’s no money in it anymore.”

Ms Matlock made the tough decision to not renew her lease, observing that “everyone’s struggling” as the cost of living crunch bites hard.

“Soon there’ll be none of these little boutiques,” she said.

Ms Matlock her Torquay store would remain open until the lease there ended next year in October.

But with recent rent hikes, she said she wasn’t sure she would stay beyond that.

“I could maybe work through it … but I might just leave,” she said.

“Then I’ll be unemployed at fifty-bloody-six.”

Ms Matlock said still had an online store, but if her Torquay outlet closed, the business would not move online.

“We’re not 30 per cent off and free shipping … we’re not ‘The Iconic’ and we can’t compete,” she said.

Ms Matlock said at its prime, Uglisista was bustling with people coming through both stores and multiple staff on site at all times.

“Now, I’m looking at anything to get people through the door,” she said.

“My full timers left and I can’t work both shops full time.”

Ms Matlock said she had not yet specified an exact date the Pakington St store would officially close.

Until then, she said there would be sales at both stores to clear stock, asking loyal customers to continue supporting local small businesses wherever they could.

Boutique Pakington St cafe We Are The Press closed in mid-May, while The Village Store closed in January after its owners were unable to absorb a huge rent hike.