Jewellery shop painting the town pink

WALK down Mitchell Street in the CBD and you’d be unlikely to miss Pink Nade, a baby pink painted shop filled with bright and bold earrings and accessories.

The brand was founded four years ago by Johanna Glennen in the small town of Warracknabeal, about two-and-a-half hours northwest of central Bendigo, so she could make customised earrings for her former clothing store.

Now her jewellery is carried by 160 stockists around the country, but Bendigo is the business’ only trading location.

“We have people travelling to the store all the time,” Ms Glennen said. “I have people come in and they’ve travelled two hours.”

As a mother of five, Ms Glennen said she wanted to create a business that supported working parents – something she didn’t experience after the birth of her first child.

“I couldn’t get a job anywhere that was flexible and I felt, being a woman, that I was really disadvantaged,” she said.

After completing an accounting degree while her kids were young, Ms Glennen said she felt she’d never be able to progress professionally in the field as she couldn’t put in the hours her male colleagues could and was frowned upon when she needed to take time off to care for her children when they were sick.

It was an attitude she wanted to change in the walls of her own company.

“I wanted to create a work environment where it was acceptable and flexible,” she said.

“The majority of the women who work for me are mothers and if their kids are sick I’m like ‘no worries, that’s fine’. I don’t want it to be a big thing where you’re scared to ring your boss to call in sick.

“I have created this flexible working environment that suits women and I like to be surrounded by empowered women.”

With three women employed in the Bendigo store, Ms Glennen said she was keen to see her business grow in the local community.

Ahead of the Elvis: Direct from Graceland exhibition coming to the Bendigo Art Gallery in March, she’s designing accessories inspired by the king of rock and roll himself.

“I’m starting to work with the gallery and I’m going to include some Elvis products in my store,” she said. “I think that’ll be really good.

“Hopefully the community can know that we’re there and continue to support us because we don’t plan on leaving.”