There is a rumble in the city.

It started a two weeks ago with the release of the Palko apartments in Braddon onto the market. This signalled an end to a place that many have come to love – the Lonsdale Street Traders.

The once abandoned warehouse that became a pop up retail space of creative, treasured and tasteful delights will be demolished in November to make way for more apartments on Lonsdale Street.

On the surface it’s enough to get your hipster beard in a tangle – but many of the retailers will make the switch from pop up to fixed finding a home in the new buildings opening along the street.

It is ok to admit it – we were in denial about the fate of our favourite pop up space and have found ourselves lamenting the loss of this overnight cultural micro-icon.

The Lonsdale Street Traders recast how we viewed ourselves as Canberrans by revealing our cool, clever and creative underbelly in its intimate spaces.

When out of towners questioned our street cred we would point to the Traders.

A bold experiment that sparked an infectious vibe with good food, quirky collections of clothes, jewellery, art, castoffs and coffee attracting all sorts and making the street come to life.

We now feel like we are loosing our cool identity – just as we realised we found it.

But the transition of the Lonsdale Street Traders and the reinvention of Lonsdale Street itself is so important to Canberra.

For our first century Canberra has been referred to as the ‘planned’ city but in our second century we have the chance to be a ‘people’s’ city.

Cities are after all about people – where they go and where they meet – Lonsdale Street Traders showed us that.

And now as the inner city becomes denser with apartment living, new retail, fresh work spaces and light rail, we have an opportunity to continue to infuse our public, derelict and development spaces with bold experiments, bright ideas and brilliant possibilities.

Treating our city as a canvas not just for commercial investment but also for public good – the kind of good that continues to foster the culture we are and want to be.

It would be easy to get our hipster skinny jeans in a twist at the whisper of development or the announcement of a demolition and start making placards in retro font.

We always need a little protest to remind people what we should be passionate about…but Lonsdale Street is different.

The vibe was always part of the vision.

The new Palko apartments will be made up of laneways, apartments and a boutique hotel – all reflecting the industrial grunge and independent flair that is now the DNA of the precinct.

Some call it our little bit of Melbourne – but Braddon it is every bit Canberra – bold, visionary, collaborative and clever.

And the pop up places which have brought the people will continue for a little while yet with another brilliant possibility in The Chop Shop set to open as a cheap and accessible space for artists.

If the Lonsdale Street Traders can spark a vibe that creates a culture worth fostering then imagine what local painter, poet or sculptor The Chop Shop could uncover?

Like all ideas that pop up – it needs people to support it to bring it to life.

To contribute to The Chop Shop’s fundraising effort go to kickstarter.com.