CELEBRATING the region\u2019s producers and makers, speciality store Gold Clunes recently opened its doors to the public.<\/p>\n
Supporting local artisans to preserve traditional methods and heritage, owner William Bled said through the store he hopes to bring back endangered professions to the centre of our day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy partner Mel and I opened around two months ago and before, I was always working with artisans in Europe, buying furniture and that kind of thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we moved here I was fascinated by the history of the town, particularly that it was the first gold town in Victoria and I\u2019ve always been passionate about supporting small artisans and protecting know-how and history.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found this place at the end of Fraser Street and thought what a good space to organise pop-up events, festivals and bring the community together and now that we can\u2019t really bring anything in from Europe, I started concentrating on the local things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having grown up as an Australian in Europe, Mr Bled said he wanted to incorporate both the French and Aussie cultures and blend it in with local products.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to mix art and food, making it a bit fun and trying to bring back the spirit of the gold rush years ago when there were thousands of people in this town and thriving looking for good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to encourage people to come and look for gold in the form of the best producers and artisans because everything is handmade, good quality and made by makers who are passionate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to bring everyone together here to do workshops, educate people and get people excited to come back to Clunes.\u201d<\/p>\n
While offering a variety of baked goods, spirits, chocolate, pickles, art and other artisan products, Mr Bled said they also offer the option of creating your own custom packs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also do hampers to try promote, and put the spotlight back onto, these guys, as well as actual little gold nuggets from the region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re constantly changing our range because a lot of the products are seasonal, so for the hampers, it\u2019s a matter of contacting us, we\u2019ll send through the list of producers we have and we let them mix and match.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have I Knead You Tonight which is traditional bread that takes 48 hours by hand, Adsum Family House do an amazing job growing and pickling their own vegetables, and Basil from Hepburn Distillery – who just won an award for the best vodka in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
By selling some of the area\u2019s best and traditional artisan products, Mr Bled said he hopes to provide contact between the creator and the consumer and that the store can be a stepping stone for each producer to open their own shop.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to have a space where people would be welcome at any time, free to pop by, because we live and work here as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to make it a big day for market days like the Talbot Market days, it brings a lot of people into town and although we are pretty much open every day, every Saturday we bake to order.\u201d<\/p>\n