Behind each of your favourite stores are passionate, hardworking people who welcome you to take part in their story, every time you walk in. Here, we introduce you to the faces behind some of your favourite Stockland retailers. Learn about the history of their business, the products and services they offer and what they love about their local community.
Meet Grace from The Cumquat Tree
Q. Tell us about your store
The Cumquat Tree is a boutique clothing and giftware store, stocking a range of fashion, candles, pamper products, homewares, jewellery, children’s products and more. We love to source locally made goods and provide a platform for other local small businesses to showcase their products. We’re very proud to have a strong emphasis on Australian-made products in stores. We’ve been around for many years, and our Baldivis store was opened in 2015.
Q. What do you love about your store?
I love our staff, our customers and our products. Our team is incredibly tight knit, and the ladies I work with truly empower me to be the best version of myself. I’m sure the others would agree with me also when I say that we are blessed to have close relationships with many of our regular customers too. It’s always so lovely to have a familiar face pop in store for a chat or bring in a coffee.
Q. What feedback do you get from your customers?
Our customers love that we offer products that are both unique and high quality. A comment we often get is that it’s good to have “a store that offers something out of the ordinary, something that we haven’t seen before, and something that will last”. I think in the modern economic environment, with bigger retailers monopolising the market in many areas, it’s getting more and more difficult for consumers to find something different, and we offer that point of differentiation. Our customers also often mention that they like to support local wherever possible, and our store provides them with that opportunity.
Q. What do you love about our local community?
Everyone is so open and accepting, there’s never any judgement. Customers often strike up conversations with one another in store, offering one another gift ideas, fashion advice, and sharing stories and laughing. I’ve never seen anything like it in any of my other jobs, and it’s really refreshing and heart-warming.
Q. With regard to your store type, what are customers wanting right now?
Winter clothing and candles! The weather is getting chillier and everyone is looking for something stylish and snug to keep them warm. With everyone spending so much time at home during isolation too, our customers have been loving burning candles to create a calming atmosphere amongst the chaos!
Q. Why do you think shopping centres are important?
Shopping centres are so important because they play a crucial role in supporting the local economy whilst also providing a place for community members to catch up for a coffee and socialise!
Q. What’s three words that describe your stores?
Unique, quality, local.
Q. What are some of your favourite stores in your Stockland centre?
Hair Art Café because they have the BEST coffee, Ozmosis because the staff there are so lovely, and Healthy Choice, the health food shop, because the staff are so helpful!
If you’d like to read more about your most-loved retailers, their products, and the faces behind the businesses, click through to the Retailer Stories page on our Belong hub. There are plenty of stories to share!
