02 SEPTEMBER 2020 | ISSUE 457 | FREE
WWW.GONAGAMBIE.COM.AU
BEHIND THE DOOR
For aspiring entrepreneurs, the idea of starting a new business venture during a global pandemic may at best seem challenging and at worst reckless. With big grand opening celebrations off the table, and current Stage 3 restrictions in place, you don’t necessarily have to put your dreams on hold.
building with history, character and so relatable to many locals. It had ‘Main Street’ shop frontage for trade and enough room for me to continue to create out the back,” said Jacqui.
For twenty years Jacqui and Chris Anderson spent their working week at the Nagambie Bakery before selling the business in October 2019. Chris has gone on to increase the offering at Anderson’s Garden Supplies and Jacqui is preparing for the online launch of Nagambie’s newest store, ‘The Corner Nook.’
The lockdown gave Jacqui time to plan, design, renovate, research and curate. Renovating such an old building definitely has its challenges but Jacqui was 100% committed to the project and loved every bit of it .
“After selling the Nagambie Bakery, it took me all of 2 months to realise I missed people. I missed seeing people and I missed talking to people. So, I went in search of my next adventure…..who would have thought that adventure would end up being directly across the road from the bakery,” laughed Jacqui. Jacqui and her sister Trish have successfully built a small business called ‘Sistawood’ handcrafting wooden homewares with pops of colour, textures and the natural beauty and quality of timber. Each individual handmade piece is truly unique with no two products ever alike. “Much of the Sistawood work was done at my kitchen table so I started to weigh up how I could have a work space and trade at the same time,” said Jacqui. “With 338 High Street on the market, we took up the challenge. A beautiful old
“In my head, it was a no brainer, life was good. Chris was out the road building Anderson’s Garden Supplies, playing in dirt and doing what he loved and I was about to open my very own gift shop......then life came to a screaming halt and we all went into our first stage 3 lockdown,” said Jacqui.
“It also gave me a reality check and a sense of fear, the unknown of everyone’s future was scary, I started to ask myself if 2020 was a sensible year to start a new business, but I persevered and ‘The Corner Nook’ began to take shape .The name is simply a description of the space, a cute little nook on the corner of High and Vine Street, filled with beautiful products,” said Jacqui. Jacqui and Trish travelled across the state for years selling their ‘Sistawood’ brand at markets, introducing them to fabulous products created by amazingly talented people. “When curating the stock in ‘The Corner Nook’ it was really important to me that I supported some of these small businesses by stocking their range and giving them a platform of exposure. ‘Sistawood’ will absolutely feature in ‘The Corner Nook’ but will not be the only focus,” said Jacqui. Continued next page.