Starting a new business with a 10-week-old in tow is a bold move - never mind being in the worst drought we have ever seen - but Lillie Holcombe has done just that.
Her new furniture and homewares store, Harry and Kit, is situated in the cute space known as 'the shed' in Bowen Lane and is offering "coastal style with a country take".
It's eclectic with a neutral palette to allow everyone to add their own flair. "Buy a bit from here, and a bit from there. Make it your own," Lil said.
It features designers' favourites such as cane, recycled timber and rustic pieces. Lil's aim is to source items that are not readily available in our region. "I wanted to make sure we offered something different. We have so many other lovely shops that offer beautiful items so I wanted to help fill the gap," she said.
They are currently importing items from Asia and hope to expand to India and Morroco. "Often on my travels I would find unique pieces that I would love to have brought home but was unable to. I wanted to find a way to bring some of these overseas treasures to our rural community."
Lillie's love for interior design began when she was given a blank canvas on her new home. The city-come-country girl lives on a sheep farm at Yetman with her husband, Henry and new son Eustie. The shop's namesakes are Harry the Cocker Spaniel house dog and his best friend Kit, the Kelpie and farm dog.
"I used to work for a construction equipment company in Brisbane so I didn't know at first what I wanted to do when I moved but I really took a liking to researching and sourcing particular furniture for our home. I was happy to wait for the right item, and that was sometimes difficult if it was miles away. While I did find items at our great, local stores sometimes I would have to pay expensive postage costs for a particular item to suit a space. And that's one of the reasons I chose to start Harry and Kit, so other people can find these pieces to love and cherish, but without the transport expense and hassle," she said.
"I was given two pieces of advice when starting: to either buy things that you thinkpeople will buy but may not necessarily be your style, or buy things you like because you're passionate about it. More often than not, people don't know what they are looking for until they see it, and if I love it, it's so much easier to sell.
The store also features beautiful linen pieces by LJC Designs, which have already been very popular. "A friend of mine has been designing with these beautiful fabrics for 10 years and they really complement our rural environment and are a reasonable price."
And if that's not enough, Harry and Kit also offer a custom-made service. "If you have a particular piece in mind we can help you source it and custom order a piece, or we can help you have it made."
Harry and Kit are open Fridays and Saturdays, and by appointment, to allow Lil plenty of time to enjoy being a mum to her new bub. She will be open a bit more in the lead-up to Christmas though. You can get in touch and keep up to date via the store's social media accounts.