DURING the state\u2019s most recent lockdown, Sturt Street eatery Higher Society continued to trade, while still offering work to their full-time employees.<\/p>\n
Grateful to have the consistent support of cafe customers keeping their small business alive, owner-operators Rhys Jeffrey and Lachlain Ramsay decided to share the love.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t doing too badly, so we thought we\u2019d give half of the proceeds from the day, and from our dinners, to someone who couldn\u2019t open their business\u2019 doors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could see things through the point of view of new business owners, personal trainers, hair and beauty industries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe said, let\u2019s get Ballarat behind Ballarat, and give some proceeds to someone who deserves it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over five days, each time a patron dropped in, they could nominate a small business. All these names were put into a hat, and Jono Bui Fitness was the one that came out.<\/p>\n
Recently beginning his career, personal training Mr Bui\u2019s his full-time job.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith lockdowns, it\u2019s making it harder for him to find clients, so we were proud to be able to bring his name out into the public, as well as providing the donation,\u201d Mr Jeffrey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was so grateful to Nathan who nominated him, and to us, with rent and bills to pay. When you\u2019re getting chucked down by lockdowns, it\u2019s difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people were supporting us during the last lockdown, it was also good to remind our customers that they were also supporting another small business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Higher Society promoted their fundraising campaign on their social media pages. Many of their patrons, new and regular, saw this and not only loved the idea, but bought big.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people, especially those with their own large businesses, were spending as much as they could.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo groups of ladies spent $160 on a Sunday roast and grazing boards, doing as much as possible to support a small business,\u201d Mr Jeffrey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother of our regulars works for WIN News and encouraged her colleagues to come in, so we\u2019ve seen lots of new faces. It\u2019s been heart-warming to see how much Ballarat gets behind small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DURING the state\u2019s most recent lockdown, Sturt Street eatery Higher Society continued to trade, while still offering work to their full-time employees. Grateful to have the consistent support of cafe customers keeping their small business alive, owner-operators Rhys Jeffrey and Lachlain Ramsay decided to share the love. \u201cWe weren\u2019t doing too badly, so we thought […]<\/p>\n