Earlier this month, Teddy & Me’s owner Marilyn Kennedy made the difficult decision to close her shop, which had been operating in Maldon since 1997. The [Tarrangower] Times caught up with Marilyn last week to talk about her time as a retailer.

It was while working at Monash University in the computer department that Marilyn developed a hankering to own a shop in a country town. Each week, she travelled into the city and bought a range of country newspapers from McGills Newsagency in Elizabeth Street. “I saw a notice advertising Teddy & Me, came and had a look at the shop and bought the business,” Marilyn said.

Was she specifically after a shop that sold toys? “No,” Marilyn said. “I would have been quite happy to have bought a shop selling other things – homewares, for instance. But Teddy & Me seemed to be a good fit. I don’t drive, and Maldon has a bus and isn’t far from a train station. Plus there was a flat above the shop that I could live in.”

And so it was that Marilyn threw herself into the highs and lows of owning a shop in Maldon. While building up a loyal customer base, she also made some changes to her stock, including specialising in collectable toys that appealed to adults as well as children.

As a shopkeeper, Marilyn had a gentle manner and was generous with her time and expertise. Teddy & Me became a popular shop, with many repeat customers.

The pros of being a shop owner? “I loved the independence of being the one making the decisions,” Marilyn said. “And I really enjoyed the relationships I had with my customers – many of who have become friends.”

The cons? In all the time that Marilyn owned her shop, she was unable to take a holiday. Apart from being on the Maldon Inc committee for some years, she had little time for outside activities. Another fly in the ointment: after 21 years of operating her shop out of the same building, Marilyn had to move to other premises. “I only wish I’d been able to buy the building,” she said. “Then I would have had complete independence.”

In her 27 years as a shop owner, Marilyn has seen many businesses come and go. “Everything comes in waves,” she said, “with shops and businesses opening and then closing. Then there’s another cycle and it begins again.”

At present, Marilyn is living with a cancer diagnosis and is undergoing treatment. “I tried keeping the shop open only on weekends for a while, but it became too difficult for me,” she said.

In the meantime, Marilyn is adjusting to retirement and keeping as well as she possibly can, under difficult circumstances. But she has no regrets about her decision to move to Maldon and buy a business. “I’d do it all over again,” she said. “I love the town, the people are wonderful and I’ve enjoyed my time at Teddy & Me.”

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 27 September 2022.