Windflower store blooming in CBD

THERE’S a fresh and gentle wind calming the four-hundred block of Sturt Street.

Kristy Tippett has transformed the former Soho Rose Farm pop-up, into a new concept store, Windflower, managed by her sister Tegan Hopkins.

Offering the seasonal blooms of small-scale producers in Ballarat’s surrounds along with Victorian market growers, the shop is currently filled with the perfume of delphiniums, hydrangeas, snap dragons, peonies, and the first garden roses of the season.

But it’s not just a florist. Staff are also aiming to provide education to the consumer about flower growing, while stocking handmade homewares and jewellery.

“We’re starting a conversation around where your flowers come from, who grows them and what’s in season,” Ms Tippett said.

“We want people to feel as if there’s something in here for everybody. We’re aiming to offer really special pieces for the home that are accessible, affordable, practical, and can be kept and valued for a really long time.”

Windflower sells quality Australian-made homewares, mostly by Victorian artisans, including GM Jewellery and Tracy Reddy paintings, both from Ballarat.

The “frilly raised dishes” by Anabelle Stonehouse of Geelong’s Tink Ceramics are available, as are the vibrant hand-tufted carpets, or fibre paintings, made by Gippsland’s Studio Hollingsworth.

Open now for two weeks, Ms Hopkins hopes the space will continue to inspire the customer with “something new to look at,” or take home, each time they step inside.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback from people coming in and saying, ‘we haven’t seen this stuff in shops here before,’ and that’s our aim, to bring something new to Ballarat,” she said.

Windflower lives at 415 Sturt Street, a former travel agency, surrounded by some iconic businesses that have been on the block for decades, and others that got their start not too long ago.

The sisters love where they’re based, and their neighbours, while enjoying the area’s evolution.

“We’ve got the new Midtown Cellars and Bar down the block, and the loyal customers of L’Espresso coming by that have been going there years,” Ms Tippett said.

“There’s the newer Higher Society cafe, Europa is renovating, and Mali Lane is doing well over the road. It’s an exciting time for this strip of shops.”