The decline of retail trade in the neighbourhood foreshadows the decline of the community. When I returned to Malta from Canada in 1995 after, having lived in North America for 24 years, the retail activity in my neighbourhood at St Julian’s was reminiscent to the retail scene that I knew in my youth at Santa Venera.
On weekday mornings, a baker from Qormi used to deliver freshly-baked loaves to the residents at St Julian’s. At about the same time, a vegetable vendor parked his van in the street. The women came out of their homes to gossip while they did their purchases.
Just like the baker, the vegetable vendor made deliveries to individual homes in the neighbourhood, including to two old sisters who lived in an old Maltese house of character, bequeathed to them by their deceased parents. The old sisters are dead, and their house is now owned by foreigners, as are most of the houses of character in the same street.
Up until recently, a fishmonger used to come to the neighbourhood to sell his wares from a van parked in a corner. He shouted at the top of his voice: “Lampuki...Ħajjin!” (Fresh fish!). The housewives gathered around his van while they inspected the fish.
The fishmonger does not come anymore. Neither do the Qormi baker and the vegetable vendor. In addition to the competition that they face from supermarkets, they have no place to park their vehicles because of construction projects in the street.
When the construction chaos subsides, the neighbourhood falls eerily silent because the street vendors have vanished from our street.
A plumber-electrician who used to provide essential services in our neighbourhood closed his retail shop years ago. The premises of a former stationery shop at Spinola Bay are now occupied by a brand-new, vacant office building.
When the construction chaos subsides, the neighbourhood falls eerily silent because the street vendors have vanished from our street
At Balluta square, a former flower/pet shop that provided a spot of beauty with its green plants and its chirping birds has been replaced by a Zanzi real estate office. Some Maltese entrepreneurs have given up on retail in exchange for bigger profits from real estate.
The decline of community has also occurred at Sliema. A few weeks ago, I had an appointment at Dingli Street. After my errand, I looked for a retail shop or a street vendor where I could buy some fruit ‒ to no avail. Retail shops in the area are in short supply. Others that used to be open have closed down for good. The day was sunny and mild but there was hardly a soul in sight.
Dingli Street leads to the Sliema promenade. In winter, the pavement facing the promenade is a wasteland of apartment blocks and real estate offices. The same scenario can be seen at Spinola Bay, where there are at least 14 real estate offices from one end of the bay to the other, but no retail trade.
In 1995, there were several retail shops at Spinola Bay, including gift shops, dry-cleaners, and a beauty salon. The shops have been snapped by real estate offices in cut-throat competition with each other.
On St George’s Road at St Julian’s, there used to be an ironmonger, a barber shop, a travel agency and several gift shops. The outlets that have replaced them cater to tourists rather than to the community because a faster buck can be made from tourists.
Up on the hill on Tower Road in Sliema, past the Alhambra, there used to be retail outlets, including stationery shops, confectioneries and a household goods store that catered to the community. They are all gone. They have been taken over by foreign franchises selling women’s clothing and accessories.
The decline of community in the St Julian’s-Sliema area is perhaps best symbolised by the demise of stationery shops, which used to be a focus of the community together with the grocer and the ironmonger. Most of the stationery shops in this area have closed down or have been taken over by the leading newsagents, who have their own brand as well as a foreign franchise. The firm that has taken over some of these stationery shops has turned them into convenience stores, mainly catering to tourists.
In contrast to the St Julian’s-Sliema promenade with its soulless row of apartment blocks and real estate offices, the Gżira waterfront and its side streets present a hub of activity, with retail shops, ‘ethnic’ takeouts and mini-markets, hotels, cafés and restaurants.
On sunny and mild afternoons, I prefer to have lunch at Gżira rather than at the overcrowded cafés at the Ferries. At Gżira, I can enjoy a delicious meal, with a scenic view, in a vibrant neighbourhood.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece