7 Howard Street - Nambour Creative Commerce

This is Bli Bli the sugar cane train ready to get back on the Howard Street tracks

A  bit over a year ago while Jodie and I were driving around looking for a new place to call home and not having much luck, one of us said, ‘What about Nambour, it might be the next Noosa?’ And the car filled with laughter ... our own. We had other dreams to fill, or so we thought.

Fifteen months later here we are living in Nambour. In January 2012 we moved into a amazing house complete with ocean glimpses from where I’m sitting, a forest full of birds, sea breezes and excellent neighbours. We’ve both found jobs locally and all the hours we used to spend traveling from Witta to the coast for work is now invested in leisure activities that soothe and are within reach of our fingertips.

Our latest connection to the local community landscape for us is Jodie’s creative collective idea, Podie Pie www.facebook.com/PodiePie . The Podie Pie retail outlet that Jo opened last Friday is a part of the Nambour Creative Commerce (www.nambourcreative.commerce.com). Nambour Creative Commerce is an arm of the Nambour Chamber of Commerce. The committee members are local business people with a passion to see the heart of Nambour revitalised using creative and artistic pop-up shops as the vehicle. 

7 Howard Street is the first stage in this project. A few metres off Currie Street, it is centrally located between the new Coles supermarket and Aldi which opens it doors on the 18th December. Around one corner is the well known Nambour Book Exchange (http://www.nambourbookexchange.webs.com) and Time Machine (http://thetimemachineshop.blogspot.com.au) and the other corner is the eclectic Queen Street, the home of Husk and Honey (https://www.facebook.com/HuskAndHoneyNambourofficial) and alternate ideas in fashion. And then a few metres along Howard Street from Queen is Backbeat Records (https://www.facebook.com/Backbeatrecords)  and Urban Fiction (www.urbanfiction.com.au) comics and collectables. 

Podie Pie brings together a colourful and creative collection of clothing, candles, artwork, books, cushions, jewelry and cards, all handmade by eighteen different women. 

Next door you will find the Ardleigh Cleveland Gallery (www.ardleighclevelandgallery.com) showcasing local artists in a variety of mediums. 

Joining Ardleigh in bringing colour to the pavement is the Tisdall gallery (www.facebook.com/tisdallgallery). Brian Tisdall is well known around South-east Queensland for his surfboard art, humourous Australian scenes and portraits. He has invited a select group of artists to join him in his gallery studio which includes didgeridoos and steam-punk sculptures.

Earth Temple (www.earthtemple.com.au) makes up the other end of this creative pop-up foursome, with a collection of restored furniture and organic hand made puppets, books and clothing.

So if you are looking for a unique, local shopping experience this Christmas, drop down to 7 Howard Street Nambour and say hello ... and help out with the revitalisation of Nambour's hub and creative heart.