WOMEN\u2019S clothing store, Lola & May has continued to trade this Christmas period, despite water damage to their Sturt Street premises.<\/p>\n
Managing Director, Sarah Kirby discovered a burst pipe had created a water leak in the boutique on Thursday, 13 December.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got the insurance out and I thought, we\u2019ll just block it off and keep trading, it\u2019s the biggest week of the year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But when all her floorboards needed to be removed, Mrs Kirby was no longer able to trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did everything we could to have everything up online so people could still support us.\u201d<\/p>\n
After contacting customers through social media about the store\u2019s temporary closure, Mrs Kirby said the amount of people from the community reaching out was \u201cinsane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t actually really expect it. It just kind of snowballed with people sharing things and messaging to support me and ask me what they can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
People stopped Mrs Kirby in the street to let her know how much they loved the shop.<\/p>\n
A Facebook comment from Ray White\u2019s Tracey Holmes was the next step, leading to talks with landlords in The Block Arcade.<\/p>\n
Mrs Kirby had the keys to shop 4 in her hand by the afternoon of Monday, December 17 and began trading in her new pop-up the next day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m blown away by the amount of people that have come in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is really lovely how the Ballarat community gets around you and gives you that great big hug.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t realise you\u2019ve got that much support.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WOMEN\u2019S clothing store, Lola & May has continued to trade this Christmas period, despite water damage to their Sturt Street premises. Managing Director, Sarah Kirby discovered a burst pipe had created a water leak in the boutique on Thursday, 13 December. \u201cWe got the insurance out and I thought, we\u2019ll just block it off and […]<\/p>\n