Building contractors yesterday wheeled in the heavy equipment to drill holes in the concrete walls of the building that used to house Number One Shoes.
The 20-year-old building in Elizabeth St is being refurbished and is being split into two large retail shops.
The shoe store has moved across the road while the work is carried out but will return once the project has been completed.
"The target is that the shop can move back in mid-November", project manager and designer Matt Hodson of Insight Architecture Ltd said.
The landlord, Parnwell Trust, is looking for a fourth tenant that will complement the retailers which operate in the complex which also houses Kathmandu and Dick Smith.