A local man says he yearns for the bargains that were on offer at Pipeworks Fun Market, exclusively revealing that he has not been able to find a retail experience that compares to the unique atmosphere at the former Campbellfield location. Luke Cranston claims life just hasn’t been the same since the iconic marketplace closed its elaborate gates towards the end of 2012, and the ongoing pain that he feels has been exacerbated by the fact that the high-traffic site remains abandoned despite initial promises of an IKEA store being built.

Speaking to The Watsonia Bugle about his grievances, Cranston said, “It’s a bloody disgrace mate, seriously. That place offered a retail experience like no other. And it had everything. It was so good. Sure, you had to pay a small fee to enter, but it was well worth it. So many hot bargains.”

Cranston went on to theorise that the untimely demise of his favourite shopping location was actually the canary down the mine as far as the retail industry is concerned. He said, “If retail is dead, it first got sick when Pipeworks closed. That place was an institution. Everyone blames online shopping for the decline in bricks-and-mortar retail, but I don’t agree. Forget the Internet, it was the closure of Pipeworks that marked the beginning of the end. I’m telling ya.”