Decisions are made in business Rundle Mall
Author Paul Flavel, joined by artist Stavroula Adameitis (FRIDA LAS VEGAS) and Richard Hayward, descendant of the Hayward family (John Martin’s).
Where people gather, decisions are made.
Some are trivial; brown shoes or black? Others reach far through the decades, touching countless lives; the decision to open or close a beloved department store for example…
No examination of South Australia’s defining meeting places would be complete without our iconic silver spheres. Who amongst us hasn’t resorted to that common refrain: “I’ll meet you at the Mall’s Balls!”
Sitting at the centre of our city since 1977, the spheres have been witness to almost five decades of mercantile history; from the much-mourned closure of SA-icon John Martin’s to the arrival of pigs and pigeons. Shoppers flock daily through this hub of history, though few pause to consider the decisions that have brought us to today.
The decision to craft places like the Magic Cave provided something special for families, a way to give back to the community. Years on, they’re part of shared memory for many South Australians.
Author Paul Flavel is amongst the few. His John Martin’s book chronicles the stories of the South Australian owned department store that traded for over 130 years, from 1866 through to its closure in 1998, and the author’s personal nostalgia comes through clearly in its pages. “A department store may seem an unusual subject for sentimental reminiscences,” shares Paul. “Yet whether a person worked or shopped at Johnnie’s, it continues to be fondly remembered and missed by most South Australians of a certain generation.”
Stavroula Adameitis, the artist and designer behind FRIDA LAS VEGAS, whose studio sits off Rundle Mall in the equally historic Adelaide Arcade, shares his enthusiasm. “Going ‘to town’ is an Adelaide codeword for shopping in Rundle Mall, which was always imbued with a sense of occasion—especially as a kid growing up in the 90s.”
“Many a childhood fever dream featured the John Martin’s toy department. I remember rows of perfectly merchandised ‘1994 Happy Holiday’ Barbies smiling down from the shelves, reminding me what fun lay in store once I was old enough to get a job. Even the seemingly banal task of going up the elevator was literally an elevated experience at John Martin’s, as the ‘elevator ladies’ hand cranked the lift doors before announcing ‘Level 4 – Manchester’.”
While deciding between dolls may seem a trifling matter, the legacy of decisions tied to John Martin’s and our mercantile history endures across generations. Sir Edward ‘Bill’ Hayward, then-owner of the Adelaide department store, launched the first John Martin’s Christmas Pageant in 1933, an annual tradition that endures in the present day.
It can’t be denied that Adelaide’s famed retail precinct is a cultural hub of great historic import. As Richard Hayward, descendant of the Hayward family, shares, “The decision to craft places like the Magic Cave provided something special for families, a way to give back to the community. Years on, they’re part of shared memory for many South Australians.”