A NEWLY-established, locally run online store is aiming to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned art, items and businesses throughout Australia.<\/p>\n
The site is called Balim Balim Dreaming went live last month and founder, operator and Wadawurrung woman Bonnie Chew said it is an evolution of a previously established enterprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually stemmed from my other business, Mirriyu Cultural Consulting, which I\u2019d created a shop component for during the pandemic as an added way of support for myself and others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started to blur the lines between my consulting and the online store so I thought I\u2019d make a store separate to that and that\u2019s where Balim Balim Dreaming came in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an amalgamation of those two fronts that showcases Indigenous works like food products, crafts, artworks, anything created by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The site\u2019s name means \u2018butterfly dreaming\u2019 and serves as a tribute to a passed elder whom Ms Chew said was an important mentor to her.<\/p>\n
Although mainly an online store, Ms Chew has also held several market stalls for Balim Balim Dreaming, at places like the Smythedale Fiesta and Buninyong Autumn Market.<\/p>\n
Ms Chew built the website from scratch, and said the core for the online shop is to provide an ethical outlet where people can buy authentic Aboriginal items.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s that variety in knowing you\u2019re going to that one-stop shop where everything\u2019s either ethically-sourced, has an artist\u2019s code or they\u2019re come from an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander business,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make sure people buying an Aboriginal-designed product, that it\u2019s not mass-produced where nothing goes back to the community. I want people to be able to buy from here knowing they\u2019re doing the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all very much still in the building stages, but I\u2019ve got loads more stuff coming in that will hopefully excite some people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A NEWLY-established, locally run online store is aiming to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned art, items and businesses throughout Australia. The site is called Balim Balim Dreaming went live last month and founder, operator and Wadawurrung woman Bonnie Chew said it is an evolution of a previously established enterprise. \u201cIt actually stemmed from […]<\/p>\n