You’ll be amazed what you find at Nextra

“We’re much more than just a newsagency,” says Tracey Pluis, new owner of Nextra Orange in the Orange City Centre.

“We are a gift store, a homewares store and more —we are bringing in new products all the time!”

Tracey and husband Wal took over the store late last year, deciding that with the City Centre renovations finally completed, it would be a good time to take the plunge.

“I had been looking at the business, doing my due diligence for the last three or four years,” said Tracey. “It just came about at the right time and with the Centre revamp it was a good time to buy.”

Retail is something Tracey knows well. Not only was she previously the local store manager and regional manager of a national homewares chain, but retail is very much in the family.

“I grew up in retail; I’m a third generation Orange business owner,” said Tracey. “My grandmother had one of the first shops in the Orange Arcade called Aquarius, it was a leather bag shop, and then my parents had Odds and Evens, a giftware and caneware shop here for many years as well. Our dinner times were spent talking business and our holidays were going to gift fairs and warehouses and the like.”

Since taking on Nextra in December, Tracey has wasted no time in putting her mark on the business.

“The location is great and this store gives me the chance to build on that and diversify a little bit. Our aim is to try and get things that you don’t get in Orange, so we are getting painted ponies in shortly and other collectables, like DC and other similar items. We brought in cane, rattan and whitewashed products as well,” said Tracey.

“Obviously we still have newspapers, magazines and lotto products. We also have a really good array of greetings cards, we just want to complement those and add to the offering”

Tracey is constantly bringing in new products to the showroom floor and she says you’ll find something new every time you come through the doors.

“Absolutely, our aim is to make it an interesting destination,” she said. “I remember as a kid going down the main street just to see all the pretty windows and see what they’d done. Well, we want to do that in store, to have new products and new displays and make it a bit of fun so people will drop by just to see what we’re doing now and what we’ve got to offer.

It’s also worth following the Nextra Orange Facebook page, where you can keep abreast of new product lines and competitions.

“We have competitions going on all the time,” said Tracey. “At the moment, if you buy a Beanie Boo, you go into the draw to win a big one worth $90! We also have a second chance lotto draw for our loyal customers every week and there is always new things and new products and offers being put on Facebook so have a look!

“And come look around; you’ll be amazed by what you’ll come across!”