Opening a small business at the best of times can be challenging, and the current economic climate provides some extra hurdles to jump, but Danielle Williamson is confident she has the right formula for success.
Mrs Williamson (nee Cox) is behind Fika & Frey in what was the Maude St Mall, which aims to fill a gap in the clothing and gifts market in Shepparton.
“I felt like there was a lot of clothing for young people and clothing for older women, but there didn’t seem to be a lot for the 20-30-year-olds that wasn’t too short or cropped or tight fitting, and affordable as well,” she said.
“That’s where the spark started.“
Mrs Williamson said Fika was a Swedish word that meant to slow down and appreciate the good things in life while Frey was a Norse god of crops fruitfulness, which she added fit nicely with some of the Goulburn Valley’s greatest characteristics.
“I think the location is really nice,” she said.
“We have a lot of foot traffic, still a lot of people are coming back down what was the mall now and has been done up.
“People can drive past and see what’s down here.”
The range at Fika & Frey goes beyond clothes to include a range of giftwares as well such as candles, homewares, herbal teas and body scrubs.
“We’ve got a lot of gift ideas in here as well and a lot of gift ideas that you don’t necessarily see everywhere else,” Mrs Williamson said.
“They’re unique and that’s what I wanted to bring, products you can’t buy at your department stores.”
A born and bred local, Mrs Williamson has built up years of experience working in a range of businesses around Shepparton and is now hoping to put that into practice growing her own.
“Opening your own business and starting your own business is scary at any time,” she said.
“Exciting and scary, but so far I’ve had a lot of good feedback and a lot of people saying this is what Shepp’s missing.”
Fika & Frey is open Monday to Saturday with extended hours likely leading up to Christmas.