The Shire’s Destination For Art And Photography Enters A Brand New Era
Goodbye Shire Arthouse, hello Local & Yonder
North Cronulla, captured by Local & Yonder
It began way back in 2002 for local Tony Rea when he opened the doors to Shire Arthouse for the very first time. Since then, the business has been sharing the works of talented photographers, which have found their way onto the walls within homes, hotels and even cruise ships. However, after over 20 years in the business, it was time to make a change.
Yes, it’s time to wave goodbye to the Shire Arthouse. But not in the sense that you may be thinking. Now run by Tony’s son, Kiah, the company is set to morph into the brand it has indeed become, which starts with a change in name and location. Now called Local & Yonder, Kiah has made the move into the bustling hotspot that is Cronulla Mall, Shop 17A/17-19 Cronulla Street, to be precise.
“Yonder is an old-timey word that means beyond. It’s about both local pride as well as curiosity,” the team explains. “As our business has grown, we have been engaged to work on large-scale corporate projects which have given us the opportunity to photograph while we travel, allowing us to build an extensive and diverse collection.”
The space is set to be a blend of contemporary-cool - a chic, art gallery aesthetic that perfectly matches the works it hosts, being a range of handheld, drone and macro photographs of Shire icons, as well as images that illustrate Australia and The Pacific, all captured by a collective of local talent.
Local & Yonder Founder, Kiah and Benson from Fly Candy
Branching out has also opened collective eyes to new opportunities. In addition to their free home consults and free digital mock-ups, the team are set to launch a new website with an ‘Artwork Selection Advice’ and digital mock up tool, which will help clients choose what suits their space best with a realistic visual aid. The power of AI!
“We also offer an end-to-end service for interior designers and large commercial clients, meaning we take photographs specifically for them,” they explain.
Like many born-and-bred local businesses, Tony and Kiah were keen not to lose sight of their roots. As such, each and every work will still be printed and created on-site, and we expect many of their loyal clients, both large-scale commercial and humble home dwellers, will follow them into their new era.
You can visit the brand new, sophisticated space at 17A/17-19 Cronulla Street, Cronulla, but if you can’t wait to run your eyes over the all-new look, you can get a preview via their website, localandyonder.com.