When the construction of the Wollongong Central shopping centre finishes at the end of this year, 80 new stores will join the existing 140 businesses. Big names like Target and Coles have already announced plans to set up shop, but what other stores should call Wollongong home? The UOWTV newsroom share their thoughts.

Mexican fast food
We really love our Mexican food, so chains like Mad Mex and Guzman Y Gomez would definitely hit the spot. In the meantime, Zambrero on Crown Street and Amigos on Keira Street will do!

Butcher
Wollongong Central already has a baker and a candle maker, so where is the butcher? We would like to have a place to buy fresh meat without having to go to the big supermarkets.

Tea store
Anytime tea comes up in a conversation, T2 will almost always get a mention. Wollongong is lucky enough to already have Tea’se Me, but the T2 devotees amongst us would like to see the tea chain open in Wollongong Central ASAP!

Coffee beans

Coffee Beans – amanda28192

Great coffee store
Edging out tea by a close margin, coffee is the drink of choice for the typical journalist. We think Wollongong Central needs a good, modern café space for us to work (and have a great coffee too!)

Vintage fashion store
There area quite a few fashion stores already in Wollongong Central, but a place to pick up clothes that aren’t the latest trends would be popular with many of us.

Comic book store
Comic books are as popular as ever, so we think Wollongong needs a store like Kings Comics in Sydney, which combines comic books with plenty of pop culture items.

Tangled technology - Stuart Anthony

Tangled technology – Stuart Anthony

Technology store
If there’s one thing journos need more of in a digital age it’s technology stores. With countless cables, chargers, devices and other gadgets to worry about, we’d be more than happy to see a store like Jaycar open in Wollongong Central.

Cheap department store
A UOWTV journalist is also often a poor journalism student, so a store like Kmart would be a great place to get essential items on the cheap.

Gourmet food store
Not all of us are cheapskates though! We’d like to see a gourmet food store open up, so we can (at least occasionally) buy some great quality local and international foods.

Apple_Store, Sydney
Apple store
This one might be a bit of a stretch, but we think Wollongong should be the next place Apple opens up an official retail store. The closest Apple Store being in the Sydney CBD could be a bit discouraging, we still live in hope!