Fashion forward & business savvy

Wendy Richardson inducted into the Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame

Gambier Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame She has been in business for more than three decades so Wendy Richardson must be doing something right. A pioneer in fashion in this region, her signature store, Redgum Country, was inducted into the Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame at the recent business awards gala presentation and the business leader had a simple message for the many and varied business owners and entrepreneurs in the room at The Barn Palais.

“Eary to bed. Early to rise. Work like hell and advertise. Be at as many functions as you can to meet new people. They will become your customers and your friends.”

Certainly sounds simple enough and it has held Wendy in good stead since opening her first store in Casterton 34 years ago. The doors to the Mount Gambier venture opened 32 years ago and outlets in Hamilton and Robe were also part of the Redgum Country journey.

Wendy had been in retail since she was 15 so she entered that first foray into business filled with confidence.

Basically Casterton needed a children’s wear outlet and Wendy decided to fill the void and within two weeks she was also stocking women’s wear. “There really wasn’t anything so it was just about opening something for the town,” she said.

Growing up, she bought a new dress every time she was paid – that was her apprenticeship and she now buys dresses for a living, priding herself on stocking a wide range of styles and choices to cater for as many customers as possible.

The Casterton store proving such a success that it attracted a high percentage of Mount Gambier based customers. “That’s why I opened the Mount Gambier store – so many people were coming across so in the end I moved to them,” she said.

Wendy was conscious we come in all shapes and sizes and with a myriad of tastes. “That’s why I keep such a variety of stock and why I have so many brands,” Wendy said. “Twenty-five people can come in and try the same thing on and it will only fit one properly and only really suit one – I want people to be spoilt for choice.”

One of the other keys to the Redgum success story has been the staff – there was the OG Julie Rudiger, long serving colleagues Maryanne Stratford and Lorraine Brooks, daughter Tanya Von Stanke, and a raft of younger fashionistas that brought a new perspective and a new clientele. “We’ve certainly built up a reputation of good service and people trust us to give the right advice,” Wendy said. “And to have the mix of ages and styles also helps – it makes the store more accessible because there’s always someone who will understand exactly what you’re looking for.”

Of course customers don’t always know what they want and last minute shopping for special occasions is the rule rather than the exception. “Fifty percent of people that come in on Friday and Saturday are buying for an event that weekend,” Wendy said. “They think they have an outfit planned and then realise it doesn’t fit right or whatever and then it’s a mad rush.”

That’s all part of the challenge though – and Wendy’s had her fair share over the journey. “When the GST came in, in 2000, we basically had to change to a computerised system to keep track,” Wendy said. “But it’s been a blessing too, because technology has really helped and I can just press a button at any stage and know exactly what I have in stock.”

She might have been in retail since she was a teenager but she has lost none of her passion for service and making sure the customer gets what they want. She heads to Melbourne for regular buying trips and is always planning at least six months in advance to make sure her customers are browsing through the latest trends every time they step into the store.

“We have new stock arrive five days a week,” Wendy said. “There is always something new to look at.” So often the fashion industry can be branded vacuous, but for all its superficiality, how we look definitely has a role to play. “If you feel good about how you look, you do take a more positive outlook into everything you do I life,” Wendy said. And Wendy has tried to make looking good affordable as well.

“You don’t have to spend a lot of money, it’s about investing in the right pieces, getting the right advice,” she said.

And while running her successful business is a top priority, Wendy is a loud and proud advocate for volunteering and working hard in your community. “We’re all busy, we’re all tired but we need to always be giving back,” Wendy said. “If you’re in a position to give something back then I think you’re obligated to.”

Safe to say not too many women in this town have not sat front and centre at a fundraiser that featured a Redgum Country fashion parade and over Redgum’s history the fashion outlet has raised more than $500,000 for charity and that has been a very personal crusade.

“My dad died (leukaemia) at the age of 38 and our mum had six kids under 13 so I have loved the fundraising because I remember how much we were helped when my dad died,” Wendy said.

The Chamber of Commerce honour is not Wendy’s first regional accolade.

In 2011, at the inaugural Women in Business and Regional Development Influential Women in Business Awards she was named Business Woman of the Year (pictured right centre) and seven years later she was inducted into that network’s Hall of Fame.

And Wendy is a devotee of those type of networks, including Women In Business and the Chamber of Commerce, believing they are vital to sustaining a vibrant commercial sector. “Business people need to get to know other business people so they can learn from each other,” she said.a