As one Sydney icon faces an uncertain future, another is born

The Sydney Morning Herald · Jordan Baker · 2026-11-06 08:45 UTC

As the vast David Jones empire faces a precarious existence, a new city icon is about to open.

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My first job after finishing school was behind a perfume counter at David Jones’ Elizabeth Street store. I couldn’t believe my luck; to me, the DJs ground floor, with its art deco chandeliers and French cosmetic houses, was the most elegant place in Sydney. Wearing black from head to toe, I’d spray scents from Balenciaga or Givenchy onto the wrists of well-heeled matrons from the eastern suburbs. They’d hand me their David Jones card and walk away with their houndstooth bag.

DJs advertised for casuals to fill Christmas shifts every year, timed perfectly with the end of the HSC. When my turn came, I had rushed to apply. We had always been a David Jones family (Mum wouldn’t shop at Grace Bros, which was taken over by Myer). As a kid, my mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and I would take the double-decker bus to town a few times a year; three of the party would have their DJ cards primed and the fourth had high hopes of a milkshake at the cafeteria.

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