It's the worst of times, it's the best of times. As many in Canberra change their fiscal ways to avoid the bust, all of that belt tightening is providing a boom for the businesses reaping the rewards.
Lawyers, brewers, property valuers, pizza outlets and nursery owners are among those in the black as some Canberrans struggle to remain solvent during a global financial crisis, interest rate fluctuations and an escalating price of living.
ACT Law Society president and principal of Rod J.Barnett & Associates of Fyshwick, Rod Barnett, said, ''When times get tough people sue each other ... There's a great increase in our work.''
So much so that lawyers are ''going flat out'' to meet demand, which shows that economic downturns can be lucrative, depending on which side of the desk you're sitting on.
Solicitors are being called upon to help businesses recoup debts because ''they've got overheads and they're desperately trying to keep their staff. So basically what they're doing is just entering into recoveries in a more immediate way.'' MrBarnett said.
Property valuers are also prospering within these uncertain times. Managing director of CB Richard Ellis in Braddon, Nick McDonald Crowley, said there was a significant upwards trend in valuation instructions and his staff were working hard to meet the demand from those looking to sell or refinance their major assets.
''Between investment properties and owner-occupiers, the majority have mortgages and the changes to interest rates that we've seen in the last three months are unheralded in the 22-odd years that I've been doing this sort of work.''
In October 2007 his company received 583 valuation instructions, while the same month in 2008 saw a stark rise to 721.
Meanwhile, in picturesque Pialligo, Fiona Toll, daughter of the owner of the eponymously named Rodney's Nursery and Garden Centre, had seen an ''absolutely massive'' increase in demand for vegetable plants and fruit trees as Canberrans tried to introduce a level of self-subsistence. ''It's probably one of our biggest growth areas that we've had in the last 12 months,'' MsToll said. ''Our seedling area, where we stock all our seedlings, it used to be one-third vegetables and two-thirds flowers. It's now one-quarter flowers and three-quarters vegetables and herbs.''
Short-term outlay can lead to long-term benefits, with locals choosing to grow tomatoes, chillies, capsicums, lettuce, corn, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, even melons, in what Ms Toll saw as a positive way to the beat the pinch. ''Number one it's good for you, it's healthy and good exercise, and secondly you know what you're putting into your body and your children's bodies, and the third advantage is that you're saving money.''
A faster approach to food on a budget is a pizza from Domino's Belconnen, which sells about 5000 of its meatosaurus, vegorama and other variations each week, the highest output for the chain in Australasia.
Franchisee David Hutchinson said, ''Our business has gone up but whether it's to do with the economic times, [or] we're running it a lot better in the last year, it's hard to tell ... We've been going a lot better in the last year, definitely upward trends.''
Christoph Zierholz, the name behind Zierholz Premium Brewery in Fyshwick, has seen his sales increase steadily this year. ''When things get harder financially people who would normally be saving to go on a holiday at Christmas or buy that new big screen TV may be less inclined to spend big dollars on a big purchase, but in a way we're all human and therefore you still want to give yourself a bit of a treat,'' he said.
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