Twine Collective is located in the historic village of Wollombi in NSW Hunter Valley. The store is stocked with a wide variety of local and internationally sourced finds, the majority of which are either created sustainably or following fair trade practices. Stocked brands include: Aden+Anais, Apple Green Duck, Armadillo & Co, Atolyia, Down to the Woods, Eb&Ive, Fragonard Perfumes, Have You Met Miss Jones, Kate and Kate Blankets, Laguna Lavender, Nana Huchy, OB Designs, Peachy by Lark, Redecker brushers and dusters, The Dharma Door, Wonki Ware, Voluspa and Zen Moments candles.
Why the name “Twine Collective”: for its organic feel, its roughness and sustainability. Its not perfect it has got a few stray hairs, no piece is exactly the same. A store for me means giving back both to our local community as we are quite remote from major shopping centres but also to give back to other small villages around the world by supporting them through suppliers who also care. The stock in my store reflects this by having handmade some of which may be made in Bangladesh or Vietnam but it by no way means “sweat shop”. It is from small villages who are using their traditions and values and allowing their kids to be schooled and not worked. Suppliers who are giving back and assisting with building schools for their communities.
Armadillo & Co preparing the yarn for the rugs. Photo courtesy of Armadillo & Co.
Dharma Door Artisans preparing materials for screen-printing. Photo courtesy of Dharma Door.
The building in which my store is housed is like a piece of twine, it doesn’t have straight walls or even floors. It was built in 1842 and began it’s life as “The Court of Petty Sessions”. It has a lot of history, untold stories and is the oldest surviving building in Wollombi. It is great that I am able to give it a life again and to be able to preserve its history and ensure it still lives on.
From City to Country Life: My husband, Scott was born a country boy and after years of living in Sydney he needed to go back to his roots. Me, being born in Sydney, living in Bondi and working a Corporate life for over 20 years the idea started to appeal to me. For many years I had driven through Wollombi on my way to the Upper Hunter and when driving down the mountain and reaching the Valley it was where I could truly take my first breath and breathe in the fresh air and beautiful countryside. It then only seemed right that Scott looks for a new career within the region. I started as a weekender and we were looking for a place to buy either here or outside the valley but still within a sensible drive for Scott’s work at Kurri Kurri. You may think of Wollombi as a quite, hidden valley but when Zac was born and I started living here full-time my thoughts all changed and so did our minds of where to call home. It was only to be within the Wollombi valley, a small thriving, inspirational community so our search really began for a property to buy here. Now 8 years, two children, three horses, many cows (including a milking cow), chickens, dog and cat, a vegetable garden and a small homewares business later I couldn’t think of anywhere else to live.
Kellie
