NEW BUSINESSES: 30 new ventures which need your support
The Darling Downs is filled with innovative locals running their own businesses. Here are just some of the new ventures you can support.
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Toowoomba and the surrounds is full of hardworking, talented and innovative locals with a dream to run their own business.
Whether they specialise in handmade jewellery, fitness, tattoos, education or maintenance, here are just some of the region’s incredible go-getters, who have launched their start-ups in the past 12 months.
And while that achievement alone deserves a round of applause, these committed small business owners have overcome various obstacles including a pandemic and lockdowns.
Inspired by his dad who was a tattooist himself, Ben Smith knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps from a young age.
Starting his apprenticeship at just 16-years-old, he opened his own parlour Whisky Time Tattoo last July, after two decades’ worth of experience in the industry.
Over the years, Mr Smith and his 2IC Scott Hornery have built portfolios filled with quirky designs from the KFC chicken bucket to the Bunnings Warehouse snag.
Whisky Time Tattoo is at 577 Ruthven St.
When friends Nicole O’Malley-Jones and Helen Anderson opened The Vintage Pear last year, they started with just a few vintage tea cups.
Since these humble beginnings, the pair have significantly increased their stunning collection of antique wares and even expanded to a second location earlier this year.
Selling everything from clothing and china, to art and furniture, the best part of the sweet store is the heartwarming essence of nostalgia it delivers its customers.
3. Chaise & Co
For young entrepreneur Chaise Damschke, working with hair hasn’t just been a career choice, but a life passion.
After becoming a hairdressing apprentice in her young teenaged years, the salon owner turned her dreams into a reality, rebranded and moved her business into its own premises last year.
Growing in size, style and staff, Chaise & Co is at 1/12 Prescott St.
4. Boutiqo
After years of struggling to find affordable and high quality jewellery, Jess Hayes decided to start making her own pearl pieces and opened Boutiqo mid-2021.
A former real estate agent, Ms Hayes decided to put her creative flair into action and go out on her own two feet when she became a mum.
The limited edition collections sell a variety of items including pearl bracelets, necklaces and earrings.
5. Flipp’d
Offering a relaxed atmosphere in a family-friendly venue, Jon Quinlivan opened Flipp’d earlier this year.
Formerly the home to Spacies Cafe Arcade, pinball enthusiasts were left heartbroken when the venture closed its doors suddenly last September.
Fortunately, it wasn’t game over for good and Mr Quinlivan didn’t take long to take over the reigns, opening his own arcade game and cafe venue Flipp’d.
The new business owner said he also rehired all the former staff who had lost employment.
Age is just a number and no barrier for Katherine Preston, who started her own baking business at the young age of 12 last year.
From cupcakes and brownies, to cakes and cookies, the young masterchef sells her baked goods at the local markets and also accepts custom orders.
Taking after her mum and grandmother who both love to cook, the young business owner’s passion really ignited after she entered a baking competition in Wales and won, when she was just four-years-old.
After her own child was diagnosed with Dyslexia, former school teacher Amy Deane, began researching ways to help her son Luke, tailor-made to his style of learning.
Witnessing first-hand the benefits of the Multisensory Structured Language curriculum, Ms Deane has now opened her own private practice Sprouts Reading Clinic, to help families in the same boat.
Using a holistic approach, the owner of the new reading clinic said she hopes to incorporate mental health strategies to assist with anxiety and low self-esteem too.
8. Home Soil
To Sally Ziesemer, she has always called the farm home and now she is offering a piece of hers for people to display in their own houses.
Growing up on a farm an hour west of Toowoomba and now living on her boyfriend’s family farm in Chinchilla, Ms Ziesemer collects bunches of wheat and sends them to customers across the country.
Her business Home Soil launched just months ago, but has already received hundreds of orders.
It’s not been easy for Dom Tulleken, who was once told by neurologists she would never walk again.
After battling complex health issues for the past decade and being completely paralysed from the shoulders down for two years, Ms Tullekan defeated all odds and began to walk again.
The young and inspiring woman who has always loved to dance, now offers dance classes for people living with disabilities.
Passionate about helping others to express themselves through dance, Ms Tullekan’s D Dance Academy opened in late 2021.
Inspired by the tropical styled bars and cafes you would come across in Singapore or Hong Kong, Jason Van Hunnik opened his new venue – Kokonut Cafe and Bar in late 2021, after falling in love with the garden city.
Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the business owner said mouth-watering options for patrons included the big breakfast, nachos share flower or sticky tamarind cauli wing wraps.
Refreshing cocktails, smoothies, juices and milkshakes are also on offer, as well as wine and coffee.
The Kokonut Cafe and Bar is at 21A / 878 Ruthven Street, Kearneys Spring.
Nothing can brighten up a day more than receiving a surprise bouquet of gorgeous blooms, especially when they get delivered by a top-secret agent – Aka Haley Potter.
Teaming up with Mei’s Flowers for supply, Ms Potter’s new venture involves her dressing up as a secret agent to deliver fresh farm flowers to lucky recipients and the sender’s identity remains a mystery.
Ms Potter said since starting her unique business earlier this year, the reactions from recipients have been both hilarious and heartfelt.
Bunches are picked fresh from the farm each day and she assures clients they will last longer than they can probably “keep a secret”.
12. EPPA House
Qualified vet Carol Smith is proof you’re never chained to your initial choice of career.
Swapping out the scrubs for DIY dollhouses, Ms Smith started her business EPPA House in 2021, after years of planning and experimentation.
With the choice of purchasing the EPPA Dollhouse all-in-one pack or decorating packs containing carpets, wallpaper and furniture separately, the process allows kids to design their own dollhouse by hand, with no glue or paint required.
Ms Smith said her main intention was to give a fun, interactive and creative alternative to technology for children to enjoy.
Fitness enthusiast and mother-of-three Nadia Burton has put her interest in exercise to action, after opening franchise Boogie Bounce Toowoomba less than a year ago.
Offering a fun way for participants to work out and stay fit, Boogie Bounce Toowoomba offers choreographed aerobic and trampolining exercise classes for small groups.
The class instructor and franchise owner currently holds classes in Mount Lofty and also travels to rural areas across the region.
14. Tanglewood Christmas Treasures
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for business owner Julie Dowd and her husband Michael Fox, who opened their Christmas-themed store to the public in September.
The home-based Carbarlah shop is filled with more than 5000 decorations, wreaths, trees and miniature villages.
While the lead up to December 25 was always the busiest time for the couple, they said they expected crowds to turn out all 12 months of the year to find sweet and festive decor.
Currently trading Wednesday to Saturday, the couple extend their hours closer to Christmas.
Nothing brings Amie Storey more joy than spoiling others with presents on special occasions.
When the 20-year-old began brainstorming new business concepts with her boyfriend, who works as a real estate agent, the couple found a way for Ms Storey to combine work and pleasure.
Launching her business Settlement Day By Boxed less than three months ago, Ms Storey packages gift hampers for real estate agents to gift clients when purchasing a home.
Filled with cocktails, lollies, chocolate, garnishes and condiments, among other sweet gifts, the most popular box is The Taste of Toowoomba, which features locally-made items.
16. Windmill Bakery
Doug Fogg first opened the Windmill Bakery in Kingaroy 18 months ago, followed by a site in Hervey Bay and Toowoomba in November 2021.
The Toowoomba Plaza bakery offers savoury goods from sausage rolls and pies, to sourdough loaves, but its specialty is designed to target customers with a sweet tooth.
While traditional bakeries may sell custard tarts, vanilla slices and jam and cream filled buns, Mr Fogg said Windmill Bakery does all of the above, but in the form of doughnuts.
With a variety of mouth-watering flavours to choose from, more doughnut options include galaxy, Oreo, salted caramel and jam lamington, among others.
After years of working as a high school teacher, Renee Elsden, decided she needed a change and left the classroom to open up her own clothing store in the small town of Pittsworth.
With a focus on quality and honouring the region and agriculture sector, Ms Elsden said the brand pays homage to her childhood, spent living on a grain farm in Roma.
The store is also filled with the store owner’s family photos including her great uncle who worked as a rodeo clown and her husband’s family sitting on tractors.
Top Paddock Clothing opened in early February.
18. Boreding
His love for skateboarding flourished when Liam Burton was just nine-years-old and found his first board at the dump, but now he’s turned his vision into a popular business.
The Toowoomba man combined his two greatest passions – skateboarding and art – to launch his own brand Boreding, where he designs unique artworks for boards, last year.
Previously working in the hospitality sector, the skateboarding enthusiast bravely gave up his day job to start his own venture.
With the heartfelt intention to break down stereotypes, Debbie Shannon started her own business Little Ballet Dancer to offer gender-neutral online ballet classes.
Passionate about shifting the stereotype that boys can’t dance, Ms Shannon aims to show the benefits of traditional ballet and make it more appealing for little lads to participate.
Inspired by her own three-year-old son William, who loves to dance, Ms Shannon said he will feature in the online subscription-based classes.
Launching her start-up last year, the mum-of-two was nominated as one of 11 finalists in the ‘one to watch’ category for the AusMumpreneur Awards, after just three months of opening.
20. Masala Hut
Bonded by blood and business, brothers Sonny and Harry Singh have been spicing up the streets of the region since they opened their first Masala Hut in Chinchilla in 2011.
The pair went on to open another site for the successful Indian restaurant in Brisbane, before finally bringing one to Toowoomba’s CBD in late 2021.
Featuring a range of favourites from the classic butter chicken and sweet version of Tikka Masala, to vegetarian dishes, the brothers have ensured the spice is not overpowering to cater to all tastes.
The Masala Hut is at Shop 2, 198-200 Margaret St.
21. Sow and Nurtured
Proud of her Indigenous heritage, Tiffany Gesler is offering a unique and holistic education model which focuses on outdoor play.
Working with children since she was 17, the qualified midwife and early education specialist started Sow and Nurtured – a venture to support families with natural resources and outdoor learning.
The proud Gunggari woman offers a variety of workshops with an holistic learning approach to assist families and children who may be experiencing anxiety or behavioural issues.
Ms Gesler said the workshops would also suit parents who homeschool or want to introduce outdoor education but don’t know where to start.
The programs are mostly tailored to babies, toddlers and students in the early years of primary school and will focus on teaching young people about the culture of Indigenous Australians and the importance of treating the land with respect.
22. Pow Bao
Less than a month ago, the owners of Copper Bench Tenzin Norbu and Sara Poolsirisook launched Pow Bao, offering a unique and creative flavour combo – bao buns and burgers.
Packing a punch in flavour, the couple sandwich locally-sourced ingredients between two steamed bao buns, to create a tasty and unique meal.
The couple came up with the idea of the takeaway only option to ensure staff hours would remain consistent during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Since launching Pow Bao, the pair said they have been overwhelmed by the positive response.
23. 95 Mary St
Fittingly called 95 Mary St, husband and wife team Simon and Renee Desmarchelier opened their elegantly styled cafe late last year, in the space formerly known as James St Grocer.
The new owners brought a new vision for the boutique cafe in leafy Toowoomba, with the intention to make it a “real food destination.”
The East Toowoomba cafe has an evolving menu, fully-stoked cake and pastry cabinet and serves Botero coffee and Jilly’s fine leaf tea.
24. The PAL App
When Bess and Andrew O’Connor welcomed their son Eddison into the world, it was a frightening time for the parents when he was born prematurely.
The fight only continued when he was diagnosed with Motor Dysgraphia, a rare condition that impacts the child’s fine motor and writing skills.
Determined to assist her child and others, Ms O’Connor began researching and working with developers to invent a multi-purpose app.
The primary accessible learning (PAL) app is subscription-based and will help teachers to monitor, mark and check schoolwork remotely, while parents will be able to access progress reports for specialists.
The Goondiwindi mum said she hopes to further develop the app to assist to children living with other disabilities and school administration teams in the future.
25. Virtual Ko
Designed to lighten the load for other business owners, Natasha Krahenbring launched a new admin support and phone line service to coincide with her existing businesses Ko Kollective and Emerald Kove.
Services on offer include answering calls on behalf of business clients, marketing and email and calendar management, among others.
It comes after her two existing businesses which provide co-working spaces, private offices and training rooms, reached full capacity with more than 170 clients and after just one year in business at the time.
26. Norfords
From the age of seven, Abraham Slatter called Toowoomba home until he relocated to Brisbane to launch his own menswear brand Norfords.
Now after its growing success, the tailor-made suit business owner and his business partner Michael Hughes have opened Norfords Custom Suits in Ruthven St’s Australia Arcade.
With a passion for offering quality fashion and empowering others, Mr Slatter said he loved watching clients excel in their professional and personal lives, all while wearing a great suit.
When Christian Nicholls first stepped into a butcher shop to work, he was just 14 years old.
So in 2021, when the time came to open his own store Highfields Gourmet Meats, he jumped at the chance and has been excelling ever since.
Specialising in unique offerings like philly cheesesteak stuffed pastries, the Highfields butcher also offers the traditional favourites like barley-fed rib fillets, homemade pies and meatballs.
Highfields Gourmet Meats is at Shop 11, Highfields Shopping Centre on Highfields Rd.
James Feez has always loved to garden and looks back fondly on the moments spent working on his grandparents’ farm in the Burnett region.
While he was a uni student, the green thumb started an online blog, offering tips to gardeners and going under the pseudonym of The Smart Gardener, but as his following grew, loved ones began to guess his identity.
After years of experience, the horticulturist started his own business last October, offering landscaping and traditional gardening maintenance or advice to customers.
29. Cartopia
Toowoomba professional race car driver Will Brown joined forces with Bathurst winner Dave Reynolds and Credit One Finance to launch their online dealership venture Cartopia.
Following in the footsteps of his family who have owned and operated Toowoomba dealership business Cars Galore for many years, Mr Brown said his family have been in the motor trade industry for more than four decades.
The race car driver said another reason for starting the business, was the increase of people searching to purchase cars online since Covid-19.
30. The Plate Restaurant, Bar and Brewery
After months of anticipation from eager patrons, The Plate Restaurant, Bar and Brewery finally opened its doors to the public last month.
The new venture which is part of The Paddock Butchery and The Shed Coffee Drive Thru, has various seating areas and also caters for events, functions and large groups.
Offering a tour of the senses, the venue features a meat smoker, Bone Idol craft beer brewery and fully-equipped bar with a list of cocktails to enjoy.
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Originally published as NEW BUSINESSES: 30 new ventures which need your support
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