Empty or permanently closed shops in the middle of country towns is a sight no one wants to see.
But in Kimba, the vacated John Deere dealership on the main street did not remain a site of inactivity for long, thanks to a group of local ladies who have turned the building into a bustling hub of arts and crafts businesses oozing with character, creativity and charm.
What was once a sea of green and gold machinery, now houses intricately decorated and styled shipping containers, each filled with local and handmade products such as soap, candles, vintage items and pottery, collectively known as Workshop26.
In February last year, local woman Barb Woolford saw a similar venture established in Murwillumbah, NSW, called the M-Arts Precinct, when on a holiday in the eastern states. Impressed by the creative flair, Barb jokingly sent a bit of information to Kimba friends Pat Beinke, Carmen Rayner and Heather Baldock before boarding her flight home.
According to Carmen, to say the idea was embraced enthusiastically from the get go would be an understatement.
"I thought Barb had just sent the message to me, so I sent back a heap of ideas at her straightaway. Mum (Pat) and Heather did too, all our messages popped up on Barb's phone when she landed, she didn't realise what she had started," Carmen said.
Within a month, the women had put in an offer on the John Deere dealership, which had been vacant for nearly a year.
Barely a day goes by where we don't have a carload of predominantly women from somewhere on the EP come to Kimba just to see us.
- CARMEN RAYNER
They took ownership on July 1 last year, cleaned the building to "within an inch of its life" with the help of family and friends, and first opened for a Christmas market in late November.
Initially, three small businesses were set up permanently in the building, a number that has now grown to 11 - with a waitlist of people wanting to be involved. Before Workshop26, some of the products were already being sold from homes or other retail spaces, while other products were only made as hobbies.
"There are artists and creators who we didn't know existed, who now have thriving little sidelines, one lady got so many orders she has actually quit her other job now," Carmen said.
"Another lady only finished her Christmas orders in March, these businesses have been so successful, there have been so many really good news stories out of it all."
Workshop26 has a policy that at least 60 per cent of each business's products must be handmade, to ensure the space remains unique and "not just another retail market".
Carmen said there were a few strong incentives which fuelled the continuing passion for Workshop26.
"We want to get tourists off the highway and into town, to have lunch at the cafe, stay a night at the pub and do a bit of shopping, and we are doing that.
"(Local cafe) Eileen's down the road has had some of its busiest weeks ever since we have opened, and that's in a time of COVID-19," Carmen said.
"Barely a day goes by where we don't have a carload of predominantly women from somewhere on the EP come to Kimba just to see us."
But there is something for the men too, with relics and old pieces of machinery dotted about inside the shed, such as Pat's father's 1927 Chevrolet car, which made an appearance for a few months.
"There were a couple of bowerbirds amongst us, who had an astonishing amount of things stashed away on our farms that we brought in. We want to make that side of Workshop26 grow as well," Pat said.
We all sit around the fire and discuss things, or we sell one another's products, and it has led to there being such a sense of community within these walls.
- PAT BEINKE
The benefits of making products from scratch and feeling a sense of accomplishment has also been a driving factor for the women involved.
"Mental health has become a massive issue, and I think a lot of it stems from the fact that people don't make things anymore," Carmen said.
"We want to encourage a creative community, because creative pursuits are essential for feeling that sense of accomplishment, it helps people to validate their existence, and realise we aren't here just to watch Netflix and play on phones - there are bigger things."
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Pat said the strong-minded nature of the women involved helped them to work together well.
"If you don't say what you really think, things can fester, so you're better off saying what you think and we'll work our way through it, and that has worked for us," she said.
"We all sit around the fire and discuss things, or we sell one another's products, and it has led to there being such a sense of community within these walls."
The success of Workshop26 during COVID-19 has made those involved all the more excited for how well the venture will go once the pandemic passes.
"We had planned on running workshops and quarterly markets, putting shipping containers and stalls in wherever we could poke them, there is still so much we haven't been able to do that we're hoping to do when restrictions lift," Carmen said.
At the moment, Workshop26 is open all day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and on Saturday mornings until 11am - but Carmen said the closing time on Saturday was a loose one.
"Saturday mornings are magical, there is almost nothing open in town except for us, we have locals in here, they stand around the fire and chat, I think 12:30pm is the earliest we've ever shut on a Saturday," she said.
"If people keep showing up, we're certainly not going to close."
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