Bishop Street Newsagency reopens around corner after business destroyed in Morley Markets inferno
Following a 10-month rebuilding process, the much-loved Morley family business is welcoming customers back through its doors following a devastating fire that destroyed Morley Market last year.
The Bishop Street News Agency, one of dozens of shops that fell victim to the fire at Morley Market in September, will reopen this week in new premises just around the corner from its former store.
Their new home is located at Shops 7 & 8, 60 Russell Street, and is scheduled to open July 1. The family running the business signed a 10-year lease agreement.
An overnight fire, which 70 firefighters brought under control in more than seven hours, destroyed Morley Market and forced businesses in the 1970s-built shopping center to close.
Bishop Street News Agency director Peter Nguyen said the reopening marked the end of an emotional journey that began with a phone call in the early hours of Sept. 3.
“We woke up very early in the morning and one of our neighbors at Morley Market told us the whole market was on fire,” he said.
“By then the fire had covered almost half of the markets, we could not enter due to biohazard.
“All the shops in Morley Markets were burned down. We couldn’t even go in to save anything because there was nothing to save.
“It was very bad.”
Investigators determined that the fire was likely caused by an electrical malfunction and was not lit intentionally.
The Nguyen family had been in business at Shop 17 in Morley Market for seven years, but the business itself has been serving the community for more than two decades.
“All the locals know us,” Mr. Nguyen said.
“They come to us regularly for water and things like that, and we’d like to think we’re the only place to shop in the area.”
Mr. Nguyen said most small business owners fail to recover because of inadequate insurance.
“We had insurance, but it wasn’t as good as we hoped,” he said.
“It was a common story among most Morley Market retailers that they were not insured enough to cover this sort of thing.”
While Bishop Street News reopens, many of the neighboring businesses may never return.
“A lot of them basically decided to retire from it. It was very devastating for them,” Mr. Nguyen said.
“I know a few of my neighbors have specialized equipment that they can’t replace. Once that’s gone, they really couldn’t do very well without it.
“No one expected a fire”
Mr Nguyen said the local community was really supportive and helped the family start rebuilding.
Big Don’s Smoked Meats launched a fundraiser last year to help businesses get back on their feet, raising more than $105,000.
“We had to order new shelves to start with because we were sold out of all our shelves,” Mr. Nguyen said.
“We managed to get a lease on the building next door, so it’s literally right around the corner from the original store.”
Mr. Nguyen said finding a new location wasn’t easy because his business sells Lotterywest products and had to stay close to the old location to maintain its licenses.
“We are the Bishop Street News, so we need to be on Bishop Street,” he said.
“Lterywest’s license is location-based. You can’t stray too far from your original spot.”
“We’re really excited to finally open with a lot of stuff ready to go inside the store,” Mr. Nguyen said.
“I hope people notice us.”
The future of the former Morley Market site, which is now completely vacant, remains uncertain.
Mr. Nguyen said the complex’s multiple owners must agree on what happens next.
“Some people want to sell this place and be done with it, while others wish it would come back,” he said.
“This is actually something everyone agrees on.”
Bayswater Council said there were no updates on the future of the Morley Market site.
