FOR 15 years, Morgan Wills has been living her crafty corner store life.<\/p>\n
The maker and owner-operator of The Crafty Squirrel celebrated her business’ anniversary at the weekend.<\/p>\n
Wills opened the Ballarat Central shop at Urquhart and Errard streets in 2011 and, pointing to a vintage nightlight shaped like a squirrel, explained the origins of the shop’s name.<\/p>\n
“When I was trying to think of a name for the shop, I didn’t want to call it my own name,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I thought, ‘What can I call it? I’m crafty. I like making things. I’m like a squirrel. I collect and gather.’ So, The Crafty Squirrel.”<\/p>\n
Such qualities have been with Wills since a young age.<\/p>\n
“From when I was a young child, as soon as I learned how to use scissors, I wanted to cut and make things,” she said.<\/p>\n
“It’s my whole life. I’ve been making things. And then at school, all the art subjects… I just always have been a maker.”<\/p>\n
Wills, her husband and two children moved from Melbourne 16 years ago after finding a store where she could sell her work.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had ups and downs, and we’ve lived through COVID, and we have managed to keep going through everything. I feel really blessed and very supported by the community around me,” she said.<\/p>\n
The business has since grown into running craft tours in Hobart, Japan and France, allowing Wills to travel throughout the year.<\/p>\n
“The fact that I can incorporate travelling in my business model is really great,” she said.<\/p>\n
The social aspect of her shop, which attracts both tourists as well as residents, is one of her highlights.<\/p>\n
One customer brought Wills flowers for her business achievement.<\/p>\n
“To me, that feels like that’s not a normal shop,” she said.<\/p>\n
“People meet each other here, they catch up, they might see a friend they haven’t seen in forever who happens to be here at the same time. You know, it’s all of that.”<\/p>\n
Wills said she was thankful to her customers and everyone who had supported her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FOR 15 years, Morgan Wills has been living her crafty corner store life. The maker and owner-operator of The Crafty Squirrel celebrated her business’ anniversary at the weekend. Wills opened the Ballarat Central shop at Urquhart and Errard streets in 2011 and, pointing to a vintage nightlight shaped like a squirrel, explained the origins of […]<\/p>\n