Last Updated: September 8, 2023

I met recently with Sarah Gray and Sally Worsley owners of Plume Thirroul and asked them both some questions about their fashion store established in Thirroul since 2006.

Plume Boutique was originally located on the corner of King St at Anita’s Theatre. It was the first retail space to open in the newly renovated Anita’s Theatre, and they both worked there.

Sarah and Sally’s background? We both grew up in the area and went to Bulli High School together. After school, we both worked in fashion – Sarah was working for Australian fashion brand George in Sydney, as well as another locally owned fashion store Liiluu clothing. Sally’s fashion background was as a Visual Merchandiser for Country Road. When we both had children, the timing was right to return to work locally back where we started our time working at Plume in 2006

What inspired you both to take-over this business? We both worked in the store when it first opened in 2006 with the original owner. When the opportunity came about to buy the business in 2017, we saw it as a natural progression as we were both so familiar with not only the brands and the way the business was run, but we also had great relationships with the existing customers.

How did your partnership or relationship evolve to own this business?
It was really just a natural progression from our existing friendship and our obsession with fashion!

Best describe your business; A fashion retail store aiming to provide customers with a beautiful mix of unique Australian and European brands.
All of the beautiful clothing in Plume is carefully handpicked and sourced from leading Australian Designers such as Camilla & Marc, One Teaspoon and Bassike, alongside popular Danish fashion brands like Cecilie Copenhagen, Second Female and basically anything we love and see a need for in our lives! Most of the brands we carry are Australian made and owned, which we love.

Summary of products sold; We sell predominantly Australian fashion brands. Brands that are not stocked anywhere else in the Illawarra is a preference for us. The fact that we no longer need to drive to the city to be able to purchase brands like Bassike or Camilla and Marc, for example, is a bonus!. We love the idea of being able to shop locally for labels that we love. During the buying season, we travel to Sydney weekly for showings, which is really enjoyable, meeting the designers and the agents is great fun. We are generally buying a full season in advance, so we’ve just purchased for Summer 19/20 and will soon start the Winter 20 buying season! Time moves fast when you are working so far in advance!
We love owning our business in Thirroul. It never feels like work to us, the customers are so much fun, as are all the other local business owners nearby who we’ve become to know so well.

More information: Plume Thirroul

Read more about author: Thirroul Guru

First published: 6th September 2019 – 2,632 hits.