Randwick ‘ghost shop’ frozen in time set for auction

An old shop at 196 Avoca St, Randwick is set to go to auction on 20 December.

It has been described as a “ghost shop” – the signs are still outside and the interior is packed with inventory – but customers haven’t set foot inside for years and the business has long ceased trading.

And now an old ceramics shop in Sydney’s eastern suburbs thought to have been closed for decades is set for a major change after being listed for sale at an undisclosed price described as “land value”.

The rundown Randwick property on Avoca St, currently crammed with boxes, was once a second hand tile shop known as Santa Maria Tiles, before the business was shuttered.

Part of the exterior is now tagged with graffiti and the front windows still display the old, faded signs of the business, including the old phone number and trading hours.

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The listing notes that the inside cannot be viewed due to the clutter. Picture: Changing Sydney

Discoloured Australian flag stickers remain glued to the front doors and next to them a sign reads “specialists in old and discontinued tiles”.

A post from the website Changing Sydney revealed the shop was one of Sydney’s “most famous ghost shops”.

“This shop was shambolic when open, with shoppers having to navigate their way through narrow passages between piles of tiles,” the article read.

No new images of the interior were included in the listing but it’s understood the property is still full of clutter and a section of the ceiling is hanging down.

The current listing represents the third time the property has been put on the market for sale since 2018, according to property records.

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The shop (left) pictured during its hey day in 1988. Picture: Randwick City Council

The property was most recently listed in 2023 with a $1.85m price guide but was pulled from the market after a year and a half.

Listing agency Sydney Realty Centre have the home listed for auction on 20 December.

Included in the listing is a note explaining: “due to the property’s current condition and heavy clutter, no open homes will be held”. The note added that the property was being sold “as is”.

The events that led to the tile store closing are not fully known.

A social media post about the tile company by an account known as Old Shops Australia attracted various comments, with some recalling what the shop was like when it was open.

“Time stands still when you walk inside, something very calming about that,” one comment said.

Another user commented that the outside of the building “has looked like this for 20 years at least”.

The Randwick property includes parking.

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It comes as local business owners recently pleaded with council to rejuvenate Randwick, once one of Sydney’s busiest areas.

They argued that an influx of backpackers with little disposable income, along with surging rents, had made the local retail environment challenging.

There were close to 22 empty shopfronts on Belmore Rd alone at the start of 2025. ANZ closed a branch on the same street.

Local auctioneer and real estate agent Graeme Smedley told media earlier this year that about one in 10 retail businesses in the suburb had been forced to shut in the last two years.

“You could shoot a gun down the main street and not hit anyone after 5pm. It’s just dead,” he said at the time.

Randwick City Council said the slowdown was because of more customers shopping online.