THESE SMALL BUSINESSES PUT THEIR THINKING HATS ON QUICK SMART, CREATIVELY PIVOTING TO SURVIVE THE EXTENDED LOCKDOWN

Here in Sydney, we are now 5 weeks deep in a lockdown and
tbh things are looking pretty fucking grim re opening any time soon.

We’ve rounded up some small businesses that have pivoted and creatively found new ways to keep that cash flowin’. Support local and keep small businesses and their families afloat during this – yep, we’re doing it – unprecedented time.

DAISY BROWN SALON, DARLINGHURST

With salon doors closed and all appointments cancelled, salon owner Montana Brown has managed to continue covering the salon’s running costs. By mixing up and distributing personalised at-home colour kits, DAISY BROWN is still able to hook their clients up with fresh lockdown locks. Kits are customised for each client through consultation, and are available for all pre-existing clients as they have their individual colour formulations on hand already.

Daisy Brown is supplying two types of at-home colour kits: one for tint clients who need coverage for grey hair, and then a root stretch for blonde clients who need to blend out their regrowth with their highlights. The simple and totally fool-proof kit includes everything you need for doing your own hair at home with confidence. Two full tubes of the colour and toner, cape, towels, hair clips and brush, as well as a treatment and oil for the hairline to prevent staining. You get an instruction card and links to Montana’s video tutorials on how to apply the colour too. EPIC.

TWO CHAPS CAFE, MARRICKVILLE

Image via TWO CHAPS — Image via Two Chaps

Marrickville’s glorious cafe and bakery TWO CHAPS is known for its insanely delicious everything-from-scratch menu, it’s fermented chilli sauce and the line around the block for brunch every weekend.

Like most cafes, Two Chaps is still offering epic takeaway food and coffee, but they’ve stepped it up a notch and every Friday to Sunday are offering customers a lockdown special: an all out, epically curated three-course bake-at-home menu. For just $35 per person, using the bestest and freshest organic produce, you get a soup, a delish main and a dessert.

This week they’re offering:

ENTREE: Roast cauliflower and mushroom soup OR roast carrot soup served with house baked garlic bread
MAIN: Shepherds pie OR mushroom spinach & macadamia ricotta rotolo in a tomato sauce
DESSERT: Sticky date pudding with house made toffee sauce and Chantilly cream

Order online or via the phone for pickup. Vegan and gluten free options by request.

FLORENCE BOULEVARDE, LEWISHAM

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Images via Florence Boulevarde.

Local florist FLORENCE BOULEVARDE is a delightful small business that delivers Sydneysiders beautiful Flowers for the Weekend every Friday.

Knowing that people are home a lot more – read: perfectly placed to enjoy beautiful blooms in their living spaces – Florence Boulevarde are delivering ‘market buckets’ for you to dip (or deep dive) into your creative side and try your hand at flower arranging. For $60, and with NOTHING BUT TIME on our hands, it’s time to let your inner florist out! It’s fantastic value and a unique experience that supports not only this small business but the Australian flower farmers too. Locally-grown, hand-selected florals and greenery to brighten up our spaces! Perfect!

We hear they sell out fast, so shop here for your market bucket for next Friday’s delivery!

RISING SUN WORKSHOP, NEWTOWN

RISING SUN WORKSHOP is a restaurant and communal motorcycle workshop located in Newtown, with a strong ethos around supporting local roasters, smokers, brewers, growers, winemakers and distillers. During lockdown they have organised these hell cute ‘DIY Ramen at Home’ boxes.
Just $40 for 2 serves, with 3 delicious flaves to choose from:

Free range roast pork bone broth with shoyu tare w/pork belly, black fungus, bamboo, blackened onion & free range ajitama noodles
Shiitake mushroom and sea kelp dashi with roast garlic & pepper miso w/ miso corn, braised greens, bamboo, black fungus, blackened onion & free range ajitama noodles
Free range chicken and kongobushi dashi with shio tare w/ free range pork belly, braised greens, bamboo, free range ajitama noodles.

Delivery via the Bopple App, Where’s Nick, Winona Wines or P&V Merchants; and pickup available all across Sydney and even to the Central Coast (from Kincumber only).

Add to cart one of their bottles of natty wine and see. you. later.

GOLDEN AGE CINEMA, SURRY HILLS

GOLDEN AGE CINEMA AND BAR, located in Surry Hills in the beautiful historic Paramount Building, is an independent business known for amazing programming of films both old and new, cult classics and avante-garde international films. It’s because of this that they have garnered a really loyal community of film-goers. They also regularly hold amazing events at the cinema and stunning bar, and are mostly known for their epic film trivia nights. The legends at Golden Age have decided to keep that up during lockdown via a virtual ticketed event that you can join from home.

The Virtual Film Trivia event will be on next Tuesday August 3rd, and will be hosted by the wonderful @thisisalexei - get your tickets here!

HANKS HOT BOX, NEWTOWN

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Images via @hankshotbox

Small business HANKS HOT BOX is a delivery service servin’ up epic DIY at home pizza kits to your door (if your door is a Sydney door).

The pizza kits include a delish handmade base (made with 48-hour fermented, single origin Australian flour – ooft!) and all the customisable, fresh toppings of your dreams (think locally made artisan cheeses, hot salami, marinated artichokes, ‘nduja, fennel sausage, friarielli). All you gotta do is cook it in the oven. Minimal effort, maximal yums.

Pizzas range from $15 – $19 each, get 3 for $50, or really live large and get 5 pizzas for $80.

MODERN MOVEMENT, NORTHERN BEACHES

MODERN MOVEMENT is a yoga and pilates studio based in the Northern Beaches, with studios at Mona Vale and Balgowlah.

Once the June lockdown began they were fully prepped and immediately shifted to all-online classes for members within 24 hours. They have their own super-easy-to-use app and online portal where you can sign in and join a class via live stream, or take one of the dozens of pre-recorded classes – beginners yoga, slow flow, vinyasa, yin, mellow and pilates.

Modern Movement offers a monthly subscription for $29 a month, or an annual upfront subscription for $250 ($20.80p/w.). Right now, very generously, they are offering a two-week free trial for unlimited classes. Lockdown is fucking hard and we need to be vigilant about self care, our mental health and moving our bodies every day…. so get on it!

MANNEQUIN HANDS, SYDNEY

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Images: Via @mannequinhands

Sydney based nail artist Victoria Houllis is the creator of business MANNEQUIN HANDS - if you haven’t seen her work all over the gram, she is absolutely killing the nail game. So much so, that her books are fully closed to new clients. With her work featured in Vogue, Paper Magazine, Oyster, Stylist and Acclaim she has done the nails of countless legendary humans: Dua Lipa, M.I.A and Julia Michaels to name a few!

Unlike larger franchised nail salons, with her huge online presence and unique aesthetic, Victoria’s business has an online marketability which allows her to continue to work via her online shop, despite the restrictions and extended lockdown in Sydney.

Starting at just $50, you can buy one of her stunning press-on nail sets, as well as beautiful cuticle oils, accessories and nail removal kits. How good!

COLLINS BOOKSELLERS, THIRROUL

In the beautiful South Coast town of Thirroul, locally owned book store COLLINS BOOKSELLERS has had to close their doors, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still supply their large and loyal community of readers with an extensive range of titles to get them through these long ass days at home. Sitting outside and hunkering down into a good book is a glorious reprieve from all the extra screen time working from home – and binging random Netflix docos – brings us.

Brilliantly, they are offering free daily home delivery to the Illawarra region and free postage to anywhere in Australia for orders over $50. Or, if you’re a local you can click and collect every day from their shop in Thirroul.

You can explore the shop’s titles via their website, and anything they don’t have ready on the shelf they will order in for you. Legends.

Defs check out and follow their gram as they’re always reviewing and recommending awesome reads.

CLAY SYDNEY

Ceramicists and angels Hannah Barclay and Bea Bellingham are the masterminds of CLAY SYDNEY, a small business offering private and studio pottery classes.

Since shutting their doors, they are continuing to bring clay-related-joy to the community during lockdown via their online virtual classes and send out clay kits. You order these online via their website and they’ll courier a kit straight to your door with everything you need for a pottery throwdown at home.

Starting at $55, you’ll get your clay, tools, a cheat sheet with helpful illustrations and instructions, and access to their online portal for instructional videos. What’s different about these guys to most at-home pottery situations? Once you’ve made your masterpiece (mug? plate? planter? vase?) you can glaze and fire that puppy in the kiln at one of their three Inner West locations once they open up again.

It’s a little bit different, non-Zoom-related activity to do with your housemates, partner or kids. Bottle of wine, some tunes and some fun clay? Yeah. Also an 11/10 gift idea.

Just days ago, these creative creatures launched the Clay Sydney Online Gallery, so they can sell unique pieces created by some of their talented resident ceramic artists. Buy yourself or a pal something totally special and one-of-a-kind and support this beautiful biz.

BEAUTIFUL DAZE, CENTRAL COAST

With their salon located in the vibey Central Coast area of Long Jetty, BEAUTIFUL DAZE BEAUTY THERAPY offer a whole heap of amazing treatments to help their clients relax and unwind – facials, massage, tanning, laser, waxing, tattoo removal, ultrasound cavitation…. you name it.

To keep moolah rolling in while doors are closed to stay covid-safe, Beautiful Daze have cleverly made at-home facial kits, which you can purchase via their online store and are available for delivery or pickup for the local clientele. This is on top of their epic online store of luxe products. Shoot them a DM on their insta to order yours, or send to a friend or family member who deserves some self care or needs to chill the F out.

Beautiful Daze are offering two different kits – $49 or $59, BARGAIN! – and each kit includes step-by-step demonstration for the application of products. You’ll get a cleanser, exfoliant, massage oil, hydrating or jelly mask, hydrating serum and moisturiser. Heavenly.

All you’ve gotta do is convince your lockdown buddy to to give you the massage. 😉