Donald Shared Shop is now up and running after a formal morning tea launch on Thursday.

At the morning tea, Pat Timmons, Executive Officer for Rural Business & Community, thanked Bev D’Arcy and Alison McEwen for their willingness to support the concept – to “give it a go” – and welcomed the new businesses joining the Donald Shared Shop.

Pat also highlighted the potential durability of the model for difficult times ahead such as drought, and the importance of the business and social connectedness being built now.

It will be there for shared shop businesses and for the broader community over the longer term, supporting the people and their small businesses through unpredictable difficult times.

There are now seven small businesses with a diversity of retail offerings operating under the one roof, and the group is keen to make space for additional small businesses that may like to join the shared shop initiative.

With a small amount of funding from the Future Drought fund’s FRRR Community Impact Program and assistance from Pat Timmond, the Donald Shared Shop initiative focus has successfully brought a group of local small businesses and micro enterprises together to share utilities costs and rental overheads, and to establish strong informal links between the individuals and their businesses.

Donald Shared Shop invites everyone to come and browse, and thanks the community for their interest and support.

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 9 July 2024.