There is something very fitting about Gordon Carson choosing to bring his business back to a smaller shop in the heart of Camden.

After more than two decades of operating businesses across the Macarthur region, including large retail and warehouse operations, Gordon has traded the scale of his former premises for a compact store in Capital Arcade — or, as Gordon describes it with a smile, “the number one arcade.”

For Gordon, the move to Camden was also personal.

“We’ve decided to make it a little bit smaller, so we’ve come to Camden ’cause I’m a local person,” he says.

Now operating from Shop 13 in Capital Arcade, Gordon’s Place is still relatively new to its Camden home. Gordon says the team is continuing to experiment with the store, rearranging stock and learning which products best suit Camden customers.

“We’re sort of getting the feel of what’s gonna work for Camden,” he says.

More Than 20 Years in Macarthur

The current Camden store may be new, but Gordon’s business story in Macarthur stretches back to 1999.

The business began in Perendi Street at Narellan before Gordon opened a store in Narellan Town Centre, where he traded for 12 years. The business later expanded into a much larger warehouse-style operation at Smeaton Grange.

For years, Gordon operated on a very different scale, with a large direct-to-the-public warehouse and an extensive product range.

Today, the business still maintains a 500-square-metre warehouse at Menangle, allowing Gordon to keep the Camden shop deliberately smaller while continuing to offer a much broader range through the business and online.

That means deciding what earns a place on the shelves in Camden.

“We’ve gotta be smart about what’s in the shop, what’s in the warehouse,” Gordon says.

So, What Does Gordon’s Place Sell?

That is not necessarily an easy question to answer.

Gordon loosely describes the current shop as having a bit of a “man cave” feel, but even that does not quite capture the variety.

There are RC cars, a significant Warhammer range, pool cues and fishing bait — a product Gordon retained from the days when the business operated as a much larger fishing store.

But the real appeal of Gordon’s Place may be that the range does not stay still for long.

“If I can buy something at the right price and we can promote it, that’s what we sell here,” Gordon says.

It means Gordon’s Place is less the kind of shop where you always arrive knowing exactly what you want and more the kind you wander into simply to see what has appeared since your last visit.

“We change literally weekly,” Gordon says.

“If you’re local, just pop in when you’re shopping… it’s one of those shops where you drop in because you don’t know what we’re gonna have this week.”

That element of discovery gives the small Capital Arcade store much of its personality.

Then Christmas Arrives

While the Camden store may be compact, Christmas is anything but small for Gordon.

Christmas has become one of the biggest parts of the Gordon’s business, attracting customers from well beyond the local area.

“We’re very well known for our Christmas products,” Gordon says.

The range includes decorations, Christmas trees, plush products and what Gordon describes as “literally thousands and thousands of lights.”

With only around 45 square metres available in the Capital Arcade shop, fitting that Christmas range into the current store simply isn't possible.

Instead, Gordon’s Christmas offering expands into the Camden Agricultural Hall, which becomes the Christmas Cave from October until shortly before Christmas.

The temporary store recreates some of the warehouse-style shopping experience that long-time Gordon’s customers will remember, with tables, pegboards, bulk displays and thousands of different products to browse.

For Gordon, Christmas is also about the atmosphere it creates.

“Christmas is just a really good product to have because everybody that comes in is excited,” he says. “Doesn’t matter what age group it is.”

A New Chapter in Camden

The move into Camden marks another chapter in a retail journey that has continually changed over more than two decades.

This time, instead of building another large warehouse operation, Gordon is creating something smaller and distinctly local — a shop that can evolve alongside its customers and its town.

And perhaps the best way to understand Gordon’s Place is simply to follow Gordon’s own advice.

“Come down and check us out and find us on camdenvillage.com.au and see what Gordon’s is all about.”