The Lismore CBD is showing more signs of recovery, with movements, renovations, and new openings happening in the next few weeks.

Lismore City Council announced the occupancy rates earlier this year when the CBD audit was completed at the end of last year.

Keen Street and Molesworth Street led the occupation rates, although the shutdown of Millers may affect those numbers now, with 85% and 86%.

On March 28 this year, the Lismore App wrote a story about the number of recently sold commercial real estate properties in Woodlark and Carrington Street, which will eventually lead to more shops and offices in the second half of 2025.

Next week, there are two new openings: Asian Mart and Audio Room.

Asian Mart is situated in the famous Tropicana building vacated recently by Alex Coranakes. It will offer Asian groceries, including Indian, Chinese and Japanese.

Harry, also known as Harjinder, opened the Kebab King shop at 75 Keen Street in January 2023 and has now added to his business offerings.

Asian Mart will be open for business on Monday.

The other side of Keen Street, and next to the Hotel Metropole is the new home of Hi-Fi specialist the Audio Room.

Phil Reed started out on Magellan Street, moved across the street near Lanna Pad Thai, and is now moving to Keen Street on the other side of Larkin Lane (the old jiu jitsu building).

"We ran out of room in the old shop and wanted more foot traffic. Our workshop needed more space to make repairs," Phil told the Lismore App.

Phil will use the extra room to expand his product lines, too.

The Audio Room will be opening on Tuesday next week.

While on Magellan Street, the Lismore community welcomes Courtney and her family to the Lismore CBD.

Courtney enjoyed working in the Tweed at a hemp shop, but when she moved to the Northern Rivers, she discovered there wasn't a hemp shop in the CBD. Now, she has Essence of Hemp selling hemp homewares, oils, foods, cleaning and skincare.

Essence of Hemp is in the old Audio Room on the corner of Magellan and Carrington Street. Courtney is the parent of two children, a 5-year-old daughter and a nearly 1-year-old son. Hudson will join Courtney in the shop daily.

There are three major renovations happening on Keen and Magellan streets as well.

Two doors down from the Audio Room, the building is being renovated to meet today's codes. The awning was in desperate need of a revamp, the building needed to be re-wired, and the walls built in a more flood-resilient way by using magnesium oxide board (MgO) that can be taken off and hosed, if needed, following a flood.

Rumours around town were that Dhezi Deli would have a CBD presence after it opened in Bexhill in November 2022 (formerly Pirlos in South Lismore). That is not the case. Building owner Suzanne Dhesi said that once the renovations were completed, it would be the perfect restaurant location for someone to take up a lease. That opportunity is about two weeks away.

The new owner of the Mecca Cafe on Magellan Street has kept a low profile and has been working on the property. CBD business rumours say it will still be a 1950s retro-style cafe, complete with booths, when finished.

The graffiti walls next to Intersport, further down on Magellan Street, have seen building movement for the first time in over a decade.

A large concrete slab was poured last week, and much more work needs to be done to turn it into a building ready for tenants.

Again, the CBD rumours say it will be a graffiti paint supply shop.

Whether the rumours are true or not, the fact that the buildings will have tenants by year's end is further proof that the Lismore CBD is continuing to grow, and that is good for Lismore.