Shopping in Civic in the 1990s v Now
In Canberra in the 1990s, there was only one place to be: Civic. Catching the bus in from Queanbeyan, you’d wait at the bus interchange with your friends, sometimes for hours, not knowing the timetable or if your bus would turn up on time … or ever.
Walking around the city with your friends for hours was, like, the ultimate Saturday afternoon. So much has changed in Civic (now known as the city centre) — but the people, the vibe and all things we love about it have stayed the same.
Fashion
In the 1990s
Grunge was at its peak: flannel shirts, combat boots and heavy-handed eyeliner ruled, while later came the Drew Barrymore-inspired butterfly clips and body glitter. It was a mish-mash of parachute pants, pastels, bold colours and pre-emo mania.
Piercings were the new tattoos and you always headed into Redpath Shoes to get a new metal accessory for your ears, stomach or tongue. While you were there you checked out the latest Doc Martens boots or if you were a straighty-180 like me, the Mary Jane styles.
Stock Jeans was the place to shop for all your Levi’s and ‘cute tops’ for a night out at upstairs Bin or Pandoras. The Body Shop lip balms were a staple 90s beauty item and their body butters were to die for in all those delicious fruity flavours. Fun fact: I have been using coconut body butter for over two decades and I still buy it from The Body Shop city store … it’s still at the top of their best sellers list!
Every trip to Civic meant ducking into David Jones for that one item you’d seen Cindy Crawford wearing on the pages of Cosmo. Grace Bros (now Myer) was Miss Shop heaven and perfect for a simple Poppy lipstick or Lancome Juicy tube for your thin lips (cosmetic injections would not become a thing for decades).
(PS – Redpath shoes is still in City Walk and has been an iconic Canberran institution for top notch footwear since 1922. That means they’ve been operating for 100 years – did they get a letter from the Queen I wonder? They still stock high quality and robust shoes including selections from Baxter, Birkenstock, and Cabello.)
Fashion now
Teenage me would never have believed that in 2022, 90s fashion would make a stronger comeback than Winona Ryder in Stranger Things. Flared pants, ribbed tops and chunky shoes are in once again, and I, for one, am not mad about it.
Myer and David Jones continue to provide high quality brand options like Country Road, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidias and Frank Green- all of which you’ll be familiar with if you have a teen!
My adolescent daughters frequent the likes of Glassons, H&M, and even the old faithful Sportsgirl. The selection, however, is far greater than my 90s Boyz 2 Men-loving self could ever have dreamed. Rows of baggy jeans, oversized sports sweaters and Tupac t-shirts.
My teens even love a bargain thrifting in the city’s op shop stores. The Green Shed has stores in City Walk and East Row and has everything from books to homewares, clothes and even bikes. A few streets away in Braddon is the uber cool ‘Goodbyes’ store that resells modern and vintage clothes at a fraction of the price. Anything that can be repurposed or have a new life is on offer and anything that is 90’s vintage absolutely must come home with us (yes the 90s is vintage now .. sigh).
Athleisure is now a massive thing and we always have to stop in to buy some Nike Pro shorts (aka bike shorts) from Rebel Sport.
Red Path and Platypus are current teen favourites and they stock.. you guessed it, Doc Martens! Also popular is today’s equivalent of Docs: Birkenstocks. Other names at Footlocker and Rebel that the kids go crazy for include Jordans, Air Force, Vans, Air Max and Chuck Taylors.
Music
In the 1990s
Landspeed Records opened in 1994 and was (and still is) the place to go for all your edgy music and merch. The hardwood floors and the smell of vinyl were visceral. I personally went for The Doors t-shirts and cropped pastel pieces with quirky sayings. Landspeed also had accessories like sunglasses, keychains and stickers to complete your 90s aesthetic. Still operating today in Garema Place, selling rare records, they’re Canberra’s longest-running independent record store and a must visit for authentic music lovers and DJs.
After Landspeed, you’d head over to Impact Records: the Empire Records of Canberra. Located on the corner of City Walk and East Row (where Maccas is now), heading down the stairs was like entering a magic cave of music, DVDs, videos and comics. The place was huge and pre-Spotify days, you’d have to search alphabetically for your favourite artists.
Impact had an extensive section at the back with comics, action figures and collector’s cards. I loved their t-shirt and poster selections and would spend hours in the magic cave, just looking through their exclusive stock.
Music now
Streaming music and telling a voice assistant to play your favourite song was still decades away. The way teens listen to and interact with music has changed big time. Most kids now carry around a device that ensures they have every song ever at their fingertips. Meanwhile, we’d listen to the radio for hours just to record one song onto cassette.
Shopping for music now mainly involves buying the best devices for listening: think UE Boom portable speakers from JB Hifi in the coolest colours (man I would have loved to have had a UE Boom at Queanbeyan Pool back in the day!) Airpods are essential. Beats from Apple are teen-approved and important if your kids like to do the same TikTok dance 800 times.
For the collectors, Impact Comics has all the classic features of Impact Records sans the actual records. It’s been in Garema Place since 2004 and my teenage son loves the store for its massive comic collection, figurines and Pop Vinyls. The superhero mural in the adjacent alleyway is incredible too!
Entertainment
In the 1990s
The place to go was Greater Union cinemas, on the corner of Bunda and Mort streets. First you’d have to buy the newspaper or call the cinema to find out what time the movies were playing – those calls weren’t cheap either! The cinema operated from 1989 and closed down in late 2007. It featured velour seats that didn’t recline or have cup holders. They can’t have been too bad though: I saw Forrest Gump at Greater Union four times!
More unconventional movies were screened at Electric Shadows which was down City Walk near the casino. It had a red cinema and a blue cinema with seats that went on for miles, making the screen seem so tiny.
Entertainment now
Although they have instant access to an online library of movies, my teens still love the cinema. I think it’s the Dendy choc tops. Entertainment has gone the way of movies and music in the fact it’s “everything, all at once” a la Kingpin.
Despite the differences between the 90s and now, one thing has remained the same: spending hours in the middle of Canberra, exploring eateries, shops, seeing a movie, going to the theatre and just “hanging out” is kind of the best.
To celebrate the festive season this year the City Renewal Authority is offering discounts every single day up until Christmas. That means deals on all the places we already love in the city (Impact Comics hint hint). Visit the online advent calendar at http://christmas.inthecity.com.au to take advantage of all of the offers!
A Q! News x City Renewal Authority article
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About the Author: Holly Winchester
Part Jennifer Coolidge, part Jennifer Garner (gaudy and geeky), Holly idolises Dolly Parton and Princess Di and loves NRL. When she's not creating killer content, you’ll find Holly at the Maccas drive thru getting her chai latte fix or buying 1990s memorabilia for the walls of her Googong home. Specialist subject: the Woolies carpark.
