Parnell village symbolises Parnell’s transformation from ‘poor and proud’ in the 1960s to ‘rich and sleek’ in the 2000s. The village was the brainchild of Les Harvey. In the 1970s he bought a number of old shops along Parnell Rise and used recycled materials to restore them. He encouraged craftspeople and open-air vendors to operate there, and during its first decade the village had a bohemian atmosphere. The suburb later became more gentrified and is now home to expensive boutiques and fashionable restaurants.