Country, Community, Christmas: Why there's never been a better time to support local businesses
That’s why, in the lead up to Christmas this year Nutrien Ag Solutions has teamed up with Buy From The Bush (BFTB) to promote local businesses and celebrate their impact on small communities across Australia.
One of these talented business owners is Nutrien’s own Jenny Mapstone who began Miss Mollee Designs back in 2011 when she was craving a connection back to her home roots in Narrabri.
“We were living up in Hervey Bay which and I was missing home quite a bit and just needed a visual or physical connection back to Narrabri and my family’s property ‘Mollee’,” Jenny said.
“My grandmothers on both mum and dad's side had taught me how to sew and I was keen to finally get the sewing machine out of the cupboard and get a little bit creative.
“I started sewing little bits and pieces, it was when the iPhones just came out, so I was stitching up iPhone and iPad pouches, wine totes and fun things, it was all very fabric based.
“So, in starting Miss Mollee Designs, I thought even though I may not be at home, I'm still very much attached to family and farming.”
Moving home to the north-west NSW town of Narrabri in 2012, Miss Mollee Designs continued to evolve with easier access to cotton rope and polymer clay which Jenny uses to create pieces like bowls, table runners and earrings.
While Miss Mollee wasn’t directly featured on BFTB when it launched in in 2019, Jenny said the new social campaign undoubtedly breathed new life into her business.
“I remember it was October when I saw this post pop up and it only had about 200 followers when I first saw this idea of BFTB,” Jenny said.
“It was lovely to see how it was promoting businesses in the area because at that stage, I was just a very micro business making things when I had time.
“There was a business that was really similar to mine who was featured on the BFTB Instagram page and she got this massive response and was completely overwhelmed with orders.
“She connected with me on Instagram and asked if I minded if she sent some people my way because she couldn’t take on all the orders.
“That gesture was really beautiful and just showed that we're not in it for ourselves out here and if we can help another business, that’s what we do out here.
“On the back of that, from not even being featured on the BFTB page in their initial launch, I still felt the positive impacts.”
Today Miss Mollee is featured on the BFTB website directory and any spare time she has outside of her work at Nutrien Ag Solutions Narrabri, you’ll find Jenny in the studio creating beautiful homewares and jewellery.
With headers winter crop harvest all but done and dusted in the north-west and the festive season feeling in the air, Jenny encouraged all Australians to shop local and support small communities this Christmas.
“If you read a tag that says made in Narrabri or Tamworth, people can usually locate that town and think ‘oh that's really cool, I know someone from there’. It just adds a bit of country comfort and changes the whole buying and selling experience,” Jenny said.
“The big online stores won't have a happy smile or happy dance happening at home when they receive a purchase.
“When you shop from a rural based business, it really is grassroots in the way that it has an impact on such a personal level. It's not about massive profit margins or how much you can you try and push through the website in one day.
“It's knowing that you have spent time creating something unique and different and that somebody wants to buy your product, it's super personal and just a really great feeling.”
