TRUDY Wallace was 16 when her parents Michael and Barbara Johns bought specialist patchwork and quilting supplies store Pot Pourri Cottage.
Then 1991, the business had two outlets. It has since endured recession, an earthquake, difficult trade during renovations and COVID-19. The latter was arguably the toughest for customers, particularly those who attend the almost daily "sit and sew" classes, which temporarily ceased during the peak of the pandemic.
"They didn't cope so well," says Mrs Wallace, who joined the business after finishing school and was taught to sew by her mother, a former TAFE fashion teacher.
"We often joke that we are the women's version of the men's shed ... We solve the problems of the world, as women do, and they missed that - and so did we.
"We've seen our customers' grandkids grow up, partners pass away, people downsize. I can tell you anything about menopause, from 18 I went through many years of [anecdotal] menopause and now I am versed in aged care facilties!"
When the Johns bought the business it had been open a decade. Today it is a proud bricks and mortar store at The Junction.
Pot Pourri Cottage has two arms. Firstly, it is a female-focused gift shop (think toiletries, babies, stationary). "We are very sexist," quips Mrs Wallace. "We really don't cater to men but they can come in to buy gift vouchers for their wives and mums."
Secondly it sells fabric (it stocks 1600 individual bolts), threads and patterns to customers who patchwork, or put together fabrics to make a 'top' which is then made into a quilt. The store has a long-arm quilting machine for assembling the three parts of the quilt - the top, middle wadding and backing. Some commercial quilts cost at least $1000 to make.
Quilting is done by hand or machine but hand-made is now on trend, in part thanks to the pandemic.
"People were at home more, they are slowing down, they don't feel they have to churn something out as a gift when they couldn't see anyone. It was just 'let's do it nice and easy' which is nice, and how it was when it began in the early 1700s," Mrs Wallace notes.
She believes the store's longevity in what is a very niche area is its customer service.
"It's a funny thing, sometimes when women get together, women's groups can be a bit feisty and I suppose competitive but we've always kept our groups quite casual and friendly and welcoming," she says.
"We have a real mix of women as far as their backgrounds and job histories and socio economic status. Every sale is important and you can't be fussy. If you buy a $1.50 threat it counts. Small sales are our bread and butter."
Pot Pourri Cottage did not qualify for JobKeeper and had to reduce its trading hours at the height of the pandemic however Mrs Wallace believes it did better than other retailers.
"I still quilted quite a lot in the three months when we didn't have [sit and sew] classes, in fact I did about 50 quilts," she says.
The classes are back up and running and the regulars are back in like clockwork, or patchwork as it were.
"There is some instruction happening and opinions around the table. Everyone puts in their two bobs worth, some bring sewing machine, some just bring handwork some don't even stitch if they are there for the chat but they might buy product to take home," Mrs Wallace says, adding with a laugh that on certain weeks the same conversations seem to on repeat. Recently, Harry and Meghan have been on high rotation.
Though customers are generally over 40, younger customers include those working on Higher School Certificate projects and young mums coming in to learn how to make clothing, not to mention those who simply want to sew their own masks.
"I get to do what I love and seeing others do what they are now loving. I have the best job in the world," Mrs Wallace says.
