In mid October, Julie Hall will be the fifth retailer to leave a vacant store at the Terralong Street shopping precinct of 22 stores.

“We’ve been battling against the tide of lack of retail in Kiama,” she said.

“It’s pretty grim. Every time a retail shop closes, a coffee shop pops up.

“Visitors say, ‘We used to come to town because the retail was good, now there’s hardly anything.’”

While a strong market still exists for printed photos, Mrs Hall has not blamed the rise of digital photography, but rather, prohibitive rental prices on the main street.

“With rent the way it is, you have to generate a hell of a lot of business to keep on going,” she said.

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take the people who own the shops to realise they need to drop the rent.”

The shop has been an institution in town for 28 years and owned by the Halls for more than a decade.

Mrs Hall laments their loyal customers will lose a unique service when the store closes.

“We’re the only ones on the South Coast to process film,” she said.

“We feel sorry for people who rely on us to get their photos done, especially the oldies.

“They stand there and chat while we develop them.”

Mrs Hall is holding out hope that someone will buy the business before October, so her customers don’t lose out.

The Kiama Business Chamber said Kiama’s retail industry has been sailing through turbulent waters.

“Shop-front retail is struggling in general no matter where you are due to the increased demand for online sales and Amazon’s market entry,” a spokesperson said.

“However, in the case of Kiama the lack of targeted tourism attracting overnight and weekend spenders is affecting retail trade.

“A typical Kiama tourist is a day-tripper, who might visit the area for lunch or a coffee but they need to be encouraged to stay and spend more time in our shops.

“The lack of sufficient parking around Terralong Street is also deterring shoppers.”