Eight businesses open doors despite global pandemic
It’s been a tough year for businesses in Australia due to the pandemic, but it hasn’t been all bad. Here are just some of the businesses who have opened their doors despite the coronavirus.
Toowoomba
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It’s no secret 2020 and the global pandemic has been the death knell for many businesses throughout the country.
Here are eight businesses that have defied the odds by opening up shop during the pandemic:
Ruby Lane Co
BOUTIQUE florist Ruby Lane Flower Co has made the leap from a homegrown business to a bricks and mortar store.
Now operating from the Walton Stores precinct at 5 Annand St, owner and florist Emily Richardson said she was excited to open to the public from today.
“It just got to the point where I was overdoing it from home,” she said.
“Our house was overtaken with boxes and vases and it was just progressing from one of our bedrooms, which I had turned into a studio, and then it was in the dining room as well, then it was in the lounge room – it just got to a point where I needed a space.”
TD Nails and Beauty
MORE known for working in transport and agriculture, Don Church is taking on a new challenge with his wife Tuyet to start a nail salon.
The couple opened TD Nails and Beauty in the revamped Wilsonton Shopping Centre this month.
While Mrs Church and her team takes care of a variety of beauty services, including pedicures, manicures and hot stone massages, Mr Church will be handling the business side of things.
The Store Room
IT WAS their first coffee catch-up after Queensland came out of lockdown in May and Inky Barwick and Jill Bliss decided it was time to open a homewares store.
The two long-time friends were looking for something new in their lives.
Mrs Barwick was the one who made the suggestion, and Mrs Bliss “didn’t even think about it”.
“I just went yes,” she said.
Fast-forward five months and their business idea has become reality in the form of The Store Room, at 111 Campbell St.
Zarraffa’s, Redbank Plains
Two young entrepreneurial friends have smashed their business goals, buying a second bustling coffee shop within three years of owning and operating their first store.
Ashley Byers and Jordan Wyborn purchased Zarraffa’s Coffee Toowoomba North in 2017, and it has gone from success to success – with the store winning national awards, being named the best coffee and cafe multiple times in The Chronicle’s Best Of series, and the pair appearing in The Chronicle’s Power 100 series.
Customers rave about not only the coffee, but the exceptional customer service.
Now, they have taken the leap and purchased another Zarraffa’s Coffee store in Redbank Plains, this time with a drive-through.
Addison’s Barbershop
A young Toowoomba barber with a decade experience in the industry has opened his own shop in the CBD.
Addison Manning always planned to open his own barber shop, and after realising he had a loyal client base he wasn’t about to let COVID-19 stop him.
Addison’s Barber Shop opened in August and Mr Manning said opening a few months after the initial pandemic wave helped him, as he knew what to expect in terms of setting up his shop so it was COVID-safe.
“I thought why not just take the jump into business and give it my best shot,” he said.
2 Brothers Barber
A QUEENSLAND-based barber chain is expanding across the state, with its next location in Toowoomba.
2 Brothers Traditional Barber was established in 2010, with a store in Queens Street Mall in Brisbane.
After expanding to Browns Plains and Toombul, owners Ali and Mo Alhasnawi decided to open a barber in Toowoomba, at Grand Central Shopping Centre.
Piccolo Papa
A MUCH-LOVED Italian restaurant in Toowoomba opened at a new location within the CBD.
Moving from its current home at High Street Plaza in Rangeville, Piccolo Papa will soon be serving its popular wood-fired pizzas and tasty pastas from Grand Central Shopping Centre.
Piccolo Papa will now be located on level one near the Market Room with after-hours and night access on Duggan Lane.
The Indian Tree
A NEW restaurant has opened at Grand Central, with the Indian Tree bringing a new cuisine to the centre.
The Indian Tree opened two weeks ago in the restaurant precinct, in the former location of PappaRich which closed this year after opening in 2018.
The Indian Tree offers tasty Indian food with classics and modern alternatives on the menu.
