Community support keeps Lola & May trading

WOMEN’S clothing store, Lola & May has continued to trade this Christmas period, despite water damage to their Sturt Street premises.

Managing Director, Sarah Kirby discovered a burst pipe had created a water leak in the boutique on Thursday, 13 December.

“We got the insurance out and I thought, we’ll just block it off and keep trading, it’s the biggest week of the year,” she said.

But when all her floorboards needed to be removed, Mrs Kirby was no longer able to trade.

“We did everything we could to have everything up online so people could still support us.”

After contacting customers through social media about the store’s temporary closure, Mrs Kirby said the amount of people from the community reaching out was “insane.”

“I didn’t actually really expect it. It just kind of snowballed with people sharing things and messaging to support me and ask me what they can do.”

People stopped Mrs Kirby in the street to let her know how much they loved the shop.

A Facebook comment from Ray White’s Tracey Holmes was the next step, leading to talks with landlords in The Block Arcade.

Mrs Kirby had the keys to shop 4 in her hand by the afternoon of Monday, December 17 and began trading in her new pop-up the next day.

“I’m blown away by the amount of people that have come in,” she said.

“It is really lovely how the Ballarat community gets around you and gives you that great big hug.

You don’t realise you’ve got that much support.”