More than 50 independent small creators have a “home” in this retail space bursting with beautiful products and the occasional workshop.
“We pride ourselves on offering a space for small business owners to feel like a member of a community and not in a product competition,” says Naomi Dootson, one half of the ownership team at Co.Lab in Berry. “We call the beautiful people who stock their products with us Colaboratees. We value them so much as we don’t have our business without their wonderful items!”
From the famous donut van in Berry, a half-donut-and-coffee-sip walk away is this wonderful shop supporting over 50 local small businesses. Co.Lab is a creative retail and workshop space that allows makers to present their wares for sale in a unique shared environment.
Naomi and business partner Robyn Brown offer a service to their Colaboratees that goes beyond simply sharing a spot in a retail space. These makers and creatives can drop off their well-made goods into the shop with peace of mind. They can chat about their products to ensure staff are well informed about new and existing items. Colaboratees leave the merchandising, styling and restocking to the Co.Lab team, with a small storage space offered as part of the service, meaning the shop always looks full and well-tended. For makers who are not local to Berry, items can be posted with the same service offered.
The collective or co-op style of business has been around for a long time, but Naomi and Robyn bring their own unique spin to this model. They have built their business around three core values: “Handmade, ethical and local are our three pillars we work on,” says Robyn, “all of our Colaboratees will meet one of these pillars, allowing us to have some of the most amazing products from small producers and creatives.”
Building the business has been a labour of love and a family affair with Naomi’s daughter Morgan working as the store manager and social media manager (she makes some fun Instagram videos with products!) and the husbands of Robyn and Naomi supporting their dream. They have worked hard to build a brand presence in Berry, offering a unique shopping experience where people can buy from over 50 different Colaboratees under one roof.
There is a culture of fun, support and sharing within the team at Co.Lab. Within minutes of speaking with Naomi and Robyn, they made me feel like I was an old friend whilst sharing their passion for what they do.
Both women were already experienced in business before coming together in this venture, where they have turned to more creative pursuits under the Co.Lab brand.
The pair met when Naomi was running the Artisan Collective in Nowra and Robyn was a regular customer looking for a place to sell her products. Naomi has a longstanding jewellery design business, Appleye, and Robyn is the brains behind the sustainable How Now Brown Paper, making washable paper baskets and bags and other eco products.
After many conversations, and fuelled by their similar experiences with other collective type businesses, they took the plunge and started something of their own. They landed on Berry due to its beautiful location, accessibility for tourists from Sydney and Canberra plus a supportive local community.
Each of these savvy businesswomen brings her own strengths to this partnership, which is now celebrating three years. “With many years of business knowledge between us, as well as respect for our complementary skill sets and strengths, that makes us work well,” says Robyn of their successful partnership.
Robyn is the administration wizard, she oversees the “business” side of things. Robyn says, “Naomi is the relationships person, she takes care of the staff and the day-to-day running of the store, working alongside our store manager and senior staff that take care of our Colaboratees, but we meet once a week to discuss where we are at, what needs to be done and make any decisions together.”
Morgan is a keen observer of her mum and Robyn’s work and has been trained by both to embody the ethos and culture that is so strong in the Co.Lab brand. “Our logo is three trees, which is not only significant to Berry but is representative of being stronger together, and we really believe we provide this to everyone who is involved in our business,” says Naomi proudly of what they have achieved in three years.
“Morgan now has trained the rest of our staff and we are at the point where it doesn’t matter who you are served by, you will have the same story, the same level of customer service and satisfaction shopping in Co.Lab.” Morgan runs the store day to day and has a keen eye for merchandising.
Another difference in the Co.Lab business model is that Colaboratees receive regular reports particularly on stock levels. The stock for each maker is not kept separately but rather the retail space is changed frequently to be eye catching with complementary items presented together to create a cohesive, aesthetically pleasing shopping experience.
“I love that every day I get to work with over 50 small businesses of which many are locally run, representing their beautifully made products, informing our customers how they are made or some back story about each business’s operations or ethos, it’s what we do best, and our customers love it,” says Morgan. “We have such a great team, in this inspiring and creative workplace with many of the staff enjoying the opportunity to produce their own products to sell in-store. I have been able to launch my own successful candle brand, Co.Lab candles, where each scent is named after our favourite things, like ‘drinks with the girls’ for example.”
Naomi runs classes in the workshop space of Co.Lab, and bookings can be made on her Appleye website. Workshops are inclusive and welcoming for everyone of all skill levels, including specific workshops for teenagers 13+ in the upcoming school holidays.
The team invites anyone who fits within their three pillars to apply to be a Colaboratee.
Be sure to follow them on social media to check out Morgan’s fun and quirky reels.
