10 May 2023

New business: Light emerges from darkness

| Matt Nicholls
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The mother-of-three just opened Weipa’s newest retail store after operating at markets and pop-up stalls over the last 12 months.

“It’s been a great two weeks,” she said after opening the doors at the Heritage Shopping Centre on May 4.

“I think it’s been well received; the feedback has been about how personalised the shop is.”

Amanda can thank her husband Russell for that, as well as a host of family and friends for chipping in to make the former hair salon into a modern retail outlet.

Whiskey and Wildflowers came about as a result of Amanda’s fear of suffering another bout of post-natal depression, something she experienced following the birth of son Lincoln.

“I wanted to do something to keep my mind busy,” she said.

“I knew I couldn’t go back to work for a while and I was reflecting on my previous pregnancy and I knew I had to do something.”

It proved to be a success.

Now, Amanda is juggling her store with 14-month-old Alana by her side, at least for parts of the working day.

“So far so good,” she said of juggling the business and the baby.

Amanda’s leap of faith into a full-blown retail business will be Weipa’s gain going forward.

Whiskey and Wildflowers stocks a large range of Ringers clothing, as well as dresses that “are perfect for Weipa women”.

“I didn’t realise how much women in Weipa wanted to look and feel pretty,” Amanda said.

“The dresses we sell are Weipa-proof and are breathable.

“You can go out to the shops in them and wear the same dress out to dinner that night.”

There’s also a range of men’s clothing and boots will be added to the store in the near future.

“I’ve already taken a heap of orders and the best thing about the Ringers stuff is that it comes Express Post so it gets here fairly quickly for Weipa,” Amanda said.

“If we don’t have it, we’ll do our best to get it for you or find something suitable.”

Amanda thanked the Weipa community for its support and said she hoped Whiskey and Wildflowers would now have a long-term presence in the Heritage Shopping Centre.

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