By Lisa Catt. Photography by Haley Kohn

Tucked between Grenfell and Rundle Street, lies Ebenezer Place: a quaint, leafy alleyway with an undeniable vibe – laid-back, sociable, young, and hip. Ebenezer is not just any shopping street; it is warming up to be one of the most dynamic amidst the newly energised East End.
It’s surprising that Ebenezer remains relatively unknown – its shops are definitely worth knowing about. Vintage fashion, local brands, and international designers, as well as cafes serving premium beverages – caffeinated or alcoholic, depending on your mood.
“It is an exciting little street with such a different blend of stores, great people, and a great atmosphere,” remarks Jade, owner of the chic wallpapered clothes store, Jade Foxx Empire – a recent addition to the Ebenezer clan.
Many of us deem our city stagnant and behind the times. A stroll down Ebenezer defies these preconceptions.  Its young and social atmosphere exudes a vibe often deemed impossible in Adelaide: cool. From this defiance – which stands boldly to delegitimise the label of Badelaide, and all its literary brilliance – the street assumes a greater significance within our wider social scope.
Ebenezer shows what you can stumble across when you are willing to step away from familiarity, break ingrained habits by stepping off the conventional route of Adelaide’s shopping strip, and dare to explore the nooks of our city.
[Cue Freudian thought].
Ebenezer’s deviation away from ‘Vogue’ fashion, along with its bright urban-funk graffiti walls, has bred a quirkiness and refreshingly unique character. Ebenezer exposes an inherently lazy and unadventurous nature, and distrust towards the credibility and possibilities of our city.
Reminiscent of the goldmine alleyways hidden throughout the Melbourne CBD, Ebenezer Place exemplifies the trendy, artistic, and inclusive hub developing in the East End; however, it also possesses an edge that distinguishes it from Rundle Street.
“This is how overseas markets operate”, explains Andy, the friendly owner of Right Hand Distribution – a jean store that houses some of the world’s most reputable denim brands. “You can take this street and put it anywhere else in the world – Melbourne, Sydney, the UK, Tokyo or Sweden. The young kids there don’t shop the main strips, they shop the back ends; that is where the more creative and up and coming guys are… the less commercial options,” he continues. There are some beautiful and excitingly different things to find in this little back end. Shop Five is home to Oscar the Third, a local brand gaining considerable interest from fashionistas nationwide. Even with this growing attention, Jess, Oscar the Third’s creator, and her sister, Molly, still choose to keep the brand’s base in this backstreet of Adelaide. “I like shopping down here because the stock is different. You know you’re not going to walk out and see 32 other people wearing your new purchase, like you do when you shop at Sportsgirl,” remarks one shopper perusing Shop Five. Maybe that is just it. If more of us weren’t so intent on following the crowd to Sportsgirl – or to the Havelock, or to Cibo – we would be pleasantly surprised as to what is on offer in our city.
Nano Ready 2 Go, a cafe that relocated from Hutt St. to join the fun at Ebenezer, serves a mean flat white. The best bit: their outdoor seating area offers a pleasant spot to perch yourself in the sunshine, away from bustling traffic.

Just across the way is the Belgian Beer Cafe; a pub with a selection of beer that extends beyond Pale Ale and Extra Dry, a cosy European feel, and a chilled crowd. And for those who are sick of a headless pint, good news. They can actually pour a beer.
“Adelaide is slack at exploring places further than the Mall”, comments Molly from Shop Five.  Andy echoes such sentiment, “People [from Adelaide] go to Sydney and they say how they love the laneways, but they don’t search them out in their backyard.” Indeed, most of the Ebenezer customers are from interstate. “I can have a whole day of people from just the Eastern States,” remarks Chloe from Hero, a nationally sought out vintage store. “Just the other day there were three girls from Brisbane, a design student from Sydney, and a client sourcing a pair of vintage Nikes from Melbourne.”
Right Hand Distribution has recently added Samurai jeans to its impressive collection. This highly acclaimed brand from Japan is also stocked by Blue in Green, an internationally-renowned store that calls Soho, New York home.Yet, when informing customers of the brand’s reputation, Andy often spots a glance of suspicion in customers’ eyes, asking, why then, if it is so good, is it in Adelaide?
Undoubtedly, no questions would be asked in Blue in Green.
“There is a great distrust for retailers here. There was a time, for quite a number of years, when retailers were buying old season stock… [as a result] people felt like they were getting off second best,” explains Andy. However, the general consensus of the street is that change is in the air. “Adelaide is getting more confident… people are starting to believe in it more,” adds Andy.
With the Fringe festivities hitting the city, business along Ebenezer is sure to flourish. The street’s interactivity will thrive on the electric atmosphere that grips the East End throughout February and March. And the shop owners cannot wait.
Although each store along Ebenezer is independent from the other, they share a strong sense of collectiveness. The beanbags, wooden stools, and deck chairs scattered along the shop fronts are evidence of this – occupied with the employees on Friday nights, all hanging out and chatting with a not-so-sneaky beer or vino. And what do the landowners think of such frivolity? They encourage it! It encapsulates the very essence of what they envisioned for the street. The lower rent also helps; as Andy explains, “It allows you to be more creative and less mainstream, and that is where the fun comes in…you get to be more relaxed”.
For all of these reasons, the street has struck the perfect balance of friendship and competition. The newer stores all mention the warm reception they received when opening, especially from the venerable Ebenezer institutions, First in Flight and Midwest Trader.
Ebenezer Place is relaxed. It is sociable. Interactive. Lively. Fun. It is a community where store owners know and support each other. A community that we all should help reach its exciting potential. It is time to discover small wonders – as proclaimed by the street’s banner – and realise that the term Radelaide can be said with confidence, rather than with sarcastic overtones.