GRAPHIC designer, Andrea Hurley has always been a crafter, and is no stranger to design markets.<\/p>\n
As an illustrator and maker of laser cut wooden jewellery, she has often set up stalls under her own handmade label, Bird and Blossom.<\/p>\n
But she noticed that not a lot of people were getting out to see the \u201cbeautiful things\u201d creatives had on offer, so she started thinking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great to have a little curated spot where people could just come and discover all these fantastic little gems,\u201d Ms Hurley said. \u201cI know, I was at a point in my handmade business to take the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deciding she\u2019d open her own store to provide more exposure for designers, Ms Hurley established her Skipton Street hub for handmade, Hattie and the Wolf.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was going to pursue my dreams, I would need to be fearless, and Hattie and the Wolf symbolises the courage it took for me to take the leap of faith and to open the shop,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how hard it is to be a hand maker and to try and get exposure, so it\u2019s a bit of promotion for people as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ever since its establishment, Hattie and the Wolf has been a friendly, comfortable, unique place that champions things produced by hand, sustainably, ethically and mostly locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support small independent hand makers, designers and manufacturers,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of local makers, but from all around the world, really.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try and keep a point of difference by sourcing things that other people haven\u2019t seen. If it doesn\u2019t resonate with me, I don\u2019t stock it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hattie and the Wolf\u2019s range of Ruby Pilven porcelain ceramics \u201cflies\u201d out the shop door, and the store\u2019s upcycled range of clothing means less textiles into landfill.<\/p>\n
Upstairs is Hattie\u2019s Wardrobe Green, a space managed by Bianca Flint, who buys and sells only quality pre-loved garments.<\/p>\n
The pair also run Hidden Treasures, and Vintage Treasures walking tours around Ballarat each month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I opened the shop, people were coming in here and asking, \u2018where else can we go and shop like this?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI was having to tell people that had lived in Ballarat all their lives about shops that had been here for years, so I thought, let\u2019s start little walking tours,\u201d Ms Hurley said.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Bird and Blossom plan to add their own clothing range to Hattie and the Wolf.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dream at the moment is to create a locally designed and made clothing range,\u201d Ms Hurley said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping to collaborate with a local maker, so it will be Ballarat designed and made here as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll illustrate my own prints so it will be our own unique range of clothing and accessories.\u201d<\/p>\n