Falling for Nambour: New owner gives beloved gift shop a fresh twist

 Julie Hopkins is curating a range of gift and homeware lines that ‘fill the gaps’ in town.

Julie Hopkins fell in love with Nambour after moving to the area last year. On April 2, Julie took ownership of Nambour Plaza’s popular gift shop, Urban Hen. 

“We just fell in love with the town. It has such a wonderful nostalgic feeling about it and we have felt so welcome.”

Julie has spent a great deal of her career in retail, notably as the owner of a florist, gift and coffee shop in Brisbane.

“After we had to close down our shop during Covid ... I thought my retail days were over. But when I saw that Urban Hen was on the market. I was saddened at the thought that such a beautiful shop might be closed. 

“I told my husband, I had one more shop left in me, and that was it!”

A firm supporter of local business, Julie set about curating a range of gift and homeware lines that ‘filled the gaps’ in town, for the business which was renamed The Gift Shop Nambour.

“My main objective is not to compete with other businesses, but to put together a complimentary offering so that people stay in Nambour to do their shopping,” said Julie.

“Lines need to be, ideally, locally sourced, or Australian-made where possible. They have to be items that you don’t see everywhere else. They need to be affordable and offer great value for money, and they need to be quirky.”

This strategy has paid off, with people even traveling from Coolum to do their gift shopping, rather than heading to Maroochydore. 

“We offer complimentary gift wrapping for our customer’s convenience, and we can hand-write cards, and put the gift in the mail, if necessary,” she said.

“When our new website goes live people will be able to buy online and we will offer a ‘click and collect’ service.

“I am a firm believer that if you have a business, it is important that you are a part of the community,” said Julie. 

“From the landlord and centre management of Nambour Plaza, through to our fellow business owners, it has been an absolute joy so far.”

• The Gift Shop Nambour is Shop 19B, Nambour Plaza and is open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am to 4pm on Saturday.