A Scone hatter will be celebrated as a 'Local Business Hero' as part of a nationwide Australia Post campaign.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Phylli Designs, founded by Scone's Laura Hall, has been selected to represent the Hunter Valley as one of 57 businesses chosen from nearly 1,000 entries for their unique and valued connection their local community .
Ms Hall told the Scone Advocate it was an incredibly exciting opportunity for her business, which creates bespoke hats from her studio in Scone, to connect with a broader audience in the Hunter region.
"It is so incredible to be a part of the competition and to be acknowledged for what we're doing here in the Hunter Valley," Ms Hall said.
"One of the great things about Phylli being involved in this competition is that we were nominated by our local post office.
"So once again the community has jumped in and rallied behind Phylli, it's 100 per cent why we're in business and pretty much all of our success has really stemmed from the support of our local businesses and local people in our community here."
As part of the Local Business Heroes campaign, each winner will receive a 'Heroes Package' worth up to $5,000 and feature in a marketing campaign in their local Australia Post Office for a month, as well as having access to personalised sending offers and business coaching through Small Business Australia.
Ms Hall said the support she had received from Australia Post had been instrumental in helping the business to flourish despite the impact of the COVID pandemic.
"There is no way that my business would have survived throughout COVID, or that it would have the impact that it does in the retail landscape nationally and internationally, without Australia Post and their incredible team and staff here in Scone," Ms Hall said.
Phylli Designs was launched at the Bondi Markets in September 2019, but after just six months the arrival of the COVID pandemic led to Ms Hall relocating herself and her business to her hometown of Scone.
"The brilliant thing about being back in Scone, and for my business especially, is that I'm so inspired by my local area," Ms Hall said.
"I immediately started creating from, I guess what you'd call a more authentic place. Because of COVID and having relocated to a regional area my business immediately went 100 per cent online."
After a successful year in 2020, Phylli launched its flagship store in Scone in May 2021, just weeks before Sydney went into another lockdown which brought the business to a "screaming halt" for the second time.
But Ms Hall said once again, it was the support of the local community which allowed Phylli to overcome these obstacles and continue to deliver their "paddock to party" handmade custom hats via post.
"I think it's a real reminder of what regional businesses bring to the table and how it doesn't matter where you're located in Australia, you can receive some phenomenal support," Ms Hall said.
"It's such an incredible opportunity to showcase that small business in the regions, outside of metropolitan areas, can be just as exciting if not more."
According to Australia Post, research conducted by Deloitte Access Economics last year showed two thirds of businesses visited the post office at least once a week, while 82 per cent of businesses stated post office services positively impacted their business.
Australia Post executive general manager Gary Starr said the program, now in its second year, played an important role in supporting local businesses to grow.
"We know small and medium businesses are the backbone of Australian communities and we're committed to helping them succeed," Mr Starr said.
"I look forward to seeing each of the Local Business Heroes feature across our network and connecting them with even more customers."