Jerra Quinn trades from The Malbon, a collective of businesses helping make small business in the town viable. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Bungendore’s town centre is changing. Longstanding businesses such as the Woodworks Gallery and the Leatherworks have closed or are preparing to leave, and some of the town’s most prominent shopfronts have stood empty for years.
The changes have brought with them a sense of unease among locals worried about the future of their town centre.
While the community forums buzz with solutions, suggestions and their fair share of finger-pointing, many of the town’s small business owners are getting on with the job, finding ways to adapt and thrive in tough trading conditions.
One of those business owners is Jera Quinn, owner of Meadow and Wilder and a local florist and flower farmer who is in the process of expanding her business to meet demand.
Based at The Malbon, a collective of businesses run by Tilley Jones, another local female entrepreneur, the business has outgrown Jera’s expectations for her small seasonal flower hustle that she started shortly after COVID-19.
Jera grows crops of flowers for cutting on her Bungendore property. Photo: Hayley Nicholls.
As a former employee in local government on the South Coast seeking a less stressful lifestyle, Jera says she hadn’t previously cultivated her green thumb but feels there may be a genetic advantage running in her family.
Genetics or not, Jera has certainly mastered not only her green thumb but also her acumen for small business, and her flair for stunning bunches has caught the imagination of locals who just can’t get enough of her handmade creations.
“We’ve just completed our first winter where we’re supplementing flowers from our farm, with flowers on order from the Sydney flower market,” Jera tells Region.
Being subject to Bungendore’s brutal winters, Jera has found that being upfront with her customers about her flower supply has given her the leeway needed to grow into a year-round business.
“It’s been wonderful; people have really put their trust in me. I learn people’s style, they let me know their colour preferences and I explain that the final bunch will be subject to the flowers available, and they trust me to make them a bouquet that they’ll love.”
The Malbon is a destination-worthy shopping collective in Bungendore. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Jera explains that education is a large part of her job as a hands-on business owner. Specialising in lesser-known varieties of flowers she’s able to transition people from blooms they have come to expect such as baby’s breath with new varieties they may not have seen but are often more stunning.
Jera is solid proof that small businesses can still thrive given the right conditions, and she credits a lot of her success to her location, with the collective providing an affordable and flexible base to run her business.
“The key to it all really has been operating from The Malbon; with the front counter staffed, it means I can run deliveries and take care of the flowers throughout the growing season.”
Better living in every sense. Stage 2 selling now.
Jera is now looking at extending her growing season by building her first greenhouse. It will be her first attempt to grow in a greenhouse, but much like the flower farm itself, she works best under a little pressure, and she’s looking forward to a new challenge.
Meadow and Wilder can be found at The Malbon, 2 Malbon Street, Bungendore. The Malbon is open 7 days a week from 9:30 am until 3:30 pm. Keep up with them via their website, Facebook page and Instagram.
Original Article published by Tenele Conway on About Regional.
