The owners of Melbourne’s iconic Eagle Leather have shared an emotional update about the future of the long-running business. In a post on social media, the team revealed that the building, which has housed Eagle Leather for almost two decades, is once again up for sale.
While the news has caused concern, the business is not closing. Eagle Leather still has several years remaining on its lease and says it is already planning for the future to ensure the much-loved queer space continues.
Eagle Leather to continue despite uncertainty
For more than 30 years, Eagle Leather has been a vital part of Melbourne’s LGBTQIA+ leather and kink communities.
More than a retail store, it has long operated as a community hub, offering a welcoming and inclusive space while supporting various queer organisations, events, and causes.
In recent years, the business has also been targeted by anti-LGBTQIA+ vandalism. Rather than weakening the owners’ resolve, those attacks have reinforced the importance of protecting queer spaces like Eagle Leather.
Now, the team says the future of its Hoddle Street home is uncertain, with the property back on the market.
“You might remember back in 2023, the property that we have called home for almost two decades went up for sale,” the owners wrote, recalling that they only discovered the building was being listed when contractors arrived to put up a sale sign.
At the time, no buyer was found, and Eagle Leather was able to continue operating after the property was taken off the market.
This time, the team says they were given advance notice.
“We are sad to let our community know that our property is again up for sale, and we wanted to give you the heads up before the sign goes up,” they wrote.
The owners stressed that the news does not mean an immediate closure.
“We want you to know that we still have a couple of years left on our lease, so we’re not going anywhere right now. Hoddle Street is our home. For 32 years it has been our stomping ground, and we have stamped our branding on the kinky queer tapestry that makes up this incredibly unique neighbourhood.”
A $10 million price tag
While buying the building would offer long-term security, the owners said the asking price is not realistic for the business.
“We’ve played out every possible scenario these last few weeks since we found out: buy the building ourselves, offer to extend the lease and/or pay more money, do a go fund me to buy the group of buildings, petition the state government, start some kind of sit in or march, but honestly, we’ve come to the conclusion that 10 million is a genuinely unachievable target considering the amount itself, the time frame needed to raise the money, and the combined value of the land they are looking to sell (we only make up about a quarter of the land for sale).”
The team said the situation highlights why they have been pushing for stronger protections for queer spaces of cultural and historical significance.
“What’s happening to us now is just another reason that over the last several years, we’ve been fighting to gain some ‘culturally significant’ protections to curb the development of buildings that house vital queer spaces, pieces of living history. Because a space like ours is more than the sum of its parts, more than the bricks and mortar, more than whatever value you can put on its square meterage or ‘location, location, location’.”
Eagle Leather said the business received 75 submissions to Yarra City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Sites of Significance survey. That work later informed a more detailed heritage study by GML Heritage, which found Eagle Leather to be a place “of high social and historical significance”.
The study also described the business as a space that “provides a touchstone and a safe haven for marginalised people from all over the world”.
However, despite those efforts, the owners said any cultural significance protections are unlikely to arrive in time to save the current building.
“Unfortunately, despite all of our best efforts at this over the last several years, it will be too late for cultural significance protections like this to save our current building, but we are determined to keep working on this goal because it is definitely not too late for these protections to aid other queer businesses in the area in future, especially some of our longstanding bars and clubs.”
A call to support queer businesses
The owners urged the community not only to support Eagle Leather, but also to show up for other LGBTQIA+ venues and businesses across Melbourne.
“Get off the apps, get out of your home, and show up. Grab a drink at The Laird or Grouse. Sit down for dinner at Mollie’s Bar and Diner. Go for a cruise at Wet on Wellington. Catch a drag show at DT’s Hotel or The 86. Blow off some steam at UBQ, stop off at Sircuit, and end up stumbling out of The Peel at 3am. Shop with us, Lucrezia & De Sade or Mannhaus. Buy a book from Hares Hyenas. Bezos doesn’t need to acquire any more Met Galas!”
They acknowledged that not everyone can afford to support queer businesses financially, but said there are still meaningful ways to help.
“We realise that money is tight these days for most of us, so if you aren’t in a position to support queer businesses financially, know there are so many other ways you can help. Share posts and news from your favourite shops, bars, and clubs. Give a 5 star google review. Tell your friends that these places exist.”
Above all, the team emphasised that Eagle Leather will keep fighting for its future.
“Know that we are resilient, we are prepared, we have a lot of fight left in us, and when our community is behind us, we always win in the end. Know that we are putting in the work now to attempt to find ourselves a ‘forever home’ for our beautiful business that means so much to so many of you. And know that YES, we’re going to do our very best to take our historical Wall of Fame bricks with us!!!”
For Melbourne’s queer leather and kink communities, Eagle Leather’s future may be uncertain, but its owners say the business is far from finished.
