Beloved Surry Hills shoe retailer High Heels – a favourite of Sydney's drag and dance community – has suddenly shut up shop on Crown Street, but promises it is not closing permanently, just "relocating".
A go-to for drag artists and pole dancers, as well as burlesque performers, High Heels announced on Monday that its storefront would close immediately due to "unforeseen circumstances", but reassured customers that its online store HighHeels.com.au would remain online.
It added that it would keep followers in the loop on its future whereabouts when it relocates.
"We're sad to say goodbye to the Surry Hills location and community," High Heels wrote on Instagram, "but we're looking positively into the future. We really appreciate your support – and we love our community so much!"
Drag artists and performers share tributes
The news prompted an outpouring of love online, with fans and drag artists reminiscing about their first sky-high heel purchases and cheering the brand on for what's next.
"They've been such an important part of the drag community in Sydney and they'll definitely be missed," said drag queen Dominique Topp. "Hopefully they can reopen soon."
"One of my first steps into drag was buying a pair of eight-inch platforms from ur shop in 2016. Hopefully we see u back v soon somewhere!!!" said Etcetera Etcetera, of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under season 1.
"Oh no, this is definitely not the end – onto bigger and better! @highheels.com.au fam, I love you guys," said another drag artist, Felicia Foxx.
Council approves subdivision of Crown Street site
On May 29, City of Sydney planning documents show the council approved an application to subdivide the site that houses High Heels into two separate lots. Owners often do this to unlock greater flexibility, allowing them to sell, lease, or finance each part of a property independently.
At present, the site houses the ground-floor retail shop formerly occupied by High Heels, with shop-top housing above comprising a two-storey dwelling with an attic. The site also has an attached house behind it that is accessed from Ryder Street. It too is a two-storey dwelling with an attic.
A shared courtyard connects the rear and front dwellings on the site.
Eliot Hastie is a senior news producer at Channel Ten, reporting on a range of general stories, specialising in foreign affairs and LGBTQ+ stories. He’s also a reporter for Gay Sydney News, where he covers LGBTQIA+ culture, politics and nightlife. He previously helped to build and launch ausbiz, Australia's only live streaming finance news channel, where he was also an executive producer and host. He has previously worked as a finance and business journalist for publications including Fintech Business, Real Estate Business and other Momentum Media titles. Eliot holds a journalism degree from the University of Westminster and brings experience in both broadcast and digital reporting. Contact Eliot: [email protected]
