Celebrating a small business success story

IT was 13 years ago that Sharon Tuffnell took a leap of faith, opening her own bricks and mortar lingerie store to fill a widening gap in the Mount Gambier market.

Having learned the ropes from iconic fashion retailer Josephine Pasin, Sharon watched the closure of a number of specialty fashion stores and believed the gap in the market for a speciality store, where fitting was a priority, could be filled and she was the one to do just that.

Bringing her extensive knowledge in retail and more specifically in lingerie through her time at Josephine’s and Gem Store, Sharon also had already built the contacts and relationships required to set up Bare Necessities – her own successful business venture.

“I loved the wedding dresses and fashion but I also learnt the importance of good fitting bras and undergarments to make everything else look good and that was what I really loved,” Sharon said.

“Opening my own store was a big step but I truly believed the community needed it and the region needed it.”

And the development of the business over the past 13 years suggests her instincts were right.

Having studied bookkeeping and accounting in her early years certainly helped with that, as was her strong history in the retail space from her first retail job at Kmart in 1987 before heading to Josephine’s in 1990.

“I knew I could do the job – the challenge was always going to be the business side of it,” Sharon said.

Helpful advice and support from the Regional Development Australia – Limestone Coast was also critical as she embarked on her business ownership journey.

“When I started out I thought I might stock around 10 brands,” Sharon said. “I now have between 30 and 40 brands from across the world. I have always tried to focus on a good fit with just a touch of fashion. If you get your foundation garments right everything else comes together.”

Speaking of foundations, building and maintaining connections are the foundation of her business – with both customers and suppliers.

“It was so beneficial that I already had a strong relationship with many of the suppliers – to be honest most of them I would call friends and I even still catch up with reps that are retired,” Sharon said. “You also build a similar relationship with your customers which is all part of being able to provide the best quality, personalised service.”

Sharon believes starting small was critical and she has gradually built the business to meet demand and her own developing skillset – she also now employs four staff.

“It is so true that from little things big things grow,” she said. “I never went in over my head. I have always tried to stay in my lane and in this industry there are always advances in products, new fabrics, new styles and you never stop learning, I’m still learning.”

Passionate about supporting small business, Sharon realises while it is partly self-interest, it is also key to maintaining the bricks and mortar shopfronts so many shoppers still favour.

“As small businesses in Mount Gambier we all need to work together to make sure customers get a great shopping experience and we need to be training the next generation of retail employees – customer service is key,” she said. “It we don’t support the stores that are here for us now, we won’t continue to have local stores.”

And Sharon knows how valued local shopfronts and personalised customer service is by local shoppers.

“We have wonderful relationships with our customers – when they come in, it is like they are meeting a friend for coffee and a chat,” Sharon said. “We have really open relationships and work hard to make people comfortable.

“We also do as much professional development and training as possible and I am excited to be heading to a really big event in Melbourne soon and it is going to great to see the latest trends and products on offer.”

So for all your lingerie, swimwear, shapewear, hosiery and sleepwear needs head to Bare Necessities at 65 Commercial Street West, Mount Gambier.

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