Libby Kavanagh and Belinda Griffiths at Miss Mary Mac
How long has your fashion boutique been in business, Libby?
I bought Miss Mary Mac two years ago this month, but the former owner had the shop for about five years. Belinda worked for her and she stayed on with me after the sale, which is fantastic, because we form a nice team together.
So, I understand there have been some big changes for you this year?
Yes, my husband and I bought the old Bridal shop building in Summer Street in November and after a two-month fit out we started trading on the 29th of April. We have a bigger, more beautiful store and we are really proud of it, so come and have a look!
What prompted the move?
We won’t be paying rent! And I think the way Orange is going, this end of Summer Street is becoming the boutique end of town: we've got the Sonic, the new boutique Cint and Hawke's General Store, Mary and Tex… We also get a lot of foot traffic from the nearby hotels.
Tell us a little of what you have to offer at Miss Mary Mac?
We try to keep everything from everyday wear right through to evening and occasion wear. Where we can, we buy Australian and New Zealand pieces, but we also have some beautiful European labels. We've got exclusivity on Django and Juliette which is a really well followed brand and we stock Stitch and Hide bag wear. We also do Alembika, which is a really quirky Israeli brand.
Who would be your typical customer?
Our customers would mostly be of a middle-aged demographic, but my daughter is 23 and she loves some things we have, and my mum is 89 and she dresses from here as well.
What would you say sets your business apart?
We really pride ourselves on being able to deliver a high level of service and get a great deal of joy out of doing what we do. If we can see our customers walking away with a smile, we know we've done a good job and it makes us feel good.