Interview * Liz & Doug Bell * The Red Store

At one time or another we’ve probably all written a ‘WISH LIST’ for our perfect country home. Well, this week’s fellow Countryphiles, Liz and Doug Bell, found a home that ticked ALL their wish list boxes PLUS some! Their list of wishes went something like this: 1. 1hr from Melbourne: 2. A lovely house that is also practical with an opportunity for Liz to work from home (i.e. a studio, store or office); 3. Located near a kindergarten and school for their little boy William; 4. Not too far from a bank and some basic shopping; 5. A picturesque place in the country that is also on the fringe of convenience. A little patience and some diligent searching and VOILA! Liz tells me she was sold the moment she laid eyes on the charming white weatherboard house replete with verandah and white picket fence! But, lo-and-behold, she was sold twice-over when she discovered the house also came with historic outbuildings, a large back yard with an orchard and majestic trees and a general merchant store! A Countryphile’s DREAM come true {SIGH}.

As ‘chief renovator’ Liz set-to and got on with the sizable task of renovating not only the period house and its garden but the historic store as well. And WOW! what a job Liz and Doug have done - The Countryphiles could happily live in the chook house (or hot house for that matter) it’s that DIVINE! Enjoy! x

And what a TREASURE the The Red Store is! When deciding upon the shop’s name, Liz found some invoices dating back to 1927 which had as the header: “The Red Store, Lyons Street, Newstead. Our Aim is to satisfy to Serve Again” – and so the store was named! Liz runs The Red Store with a ‘nod to the past’ – sourcing wonderful vintage wares, collectibles and curiosities and styling the shop to evoke a feeling much like it would have had in its heyday as a General Merchant & Trading Store (minus bulk provedore goods such as flour and sugar) – even down to the gilt lettering above the door. Whilst you can browse The Red Store‘s products online - it’s well worth the 10 minute journey beyond Castlemaine to experience it for yourself PLUS you get to meet the store’s LOVELY proprietress. The Countryphiles can’t get enough of this little country GEM!

Tell us a little bit about your background/s – what path led you to where you are now?

A long and winding road!  I think our family has moved house 6 times in 10 years, so definitely time to settle down for a while and let our little boy grow. Corporate life was looking a little jaded and although we are both  pretty practical at compromise, my husband Doug and I came to realise that the rat-race seemed to be more and more about compromise; overpriced property, long commutes, crime and a family life dominated by the career path of one partner.

So…we schemed up a plan ‘A’ to change our lives and went for it (Plan ‘B’ is still in formulation!)

You own the FABULOUS and historic The Red Store in Newstead. Tell us all about it!

Some people buy a house, we bought a house that just happened to have a shop in the back yard. The Red Store has operated in Newstead in one form or another for over 100 years.  Originally a general store selling groceries, drapery, crockery and all manner of household items with a stockfeeds business and ironmongery in the side yard, the business was owned by Isaac Roberts and his decendants in Newstead for many many years. Although the current building dates from the turn of the century, I understand there was an earlier, more basic shed situated on the corner of the block selling wares during the gold rush. There is a story in the town that our shop got its current name ‘The Red Store’ because of a paint job by the owners ‘I A Roberts & Co.’ The story goes that they had another shop in Maldon and to avoid confusion, or perhaps due to the familiarity shown buy the locals, our building got the nickname “The Red Store” due to the colour of its external livery.

Quite by accident, we discovered some old invoice books dating from 1927 with ‘The Red Store’ on the letterhead, so choosing a business name for our new homewares retail venture was just a matter of applying for the name and keeping all our fingers crossed! In the end, we were lucky to be able to re-establish The Red Store and hang out our shingle under the historic name.

You sell AMAZING antiques and vintage homewares, furniture, collectibles and curiosities. What makes you so passionate about old wares?

Doug reckons it’s so I can keep re-arranging everything and rotating it through the house – just to keep him guessing what kitchen table we’ll be sitting at this week…

I don’t really think of myself as being into old or vintage homewares, rather a life lived with practical but beautiful items that enhance the everyday.  If I’m watering the herb pots, I’d rather do it with a vintage French watering can – or baking a cake seems nicer to me if mixed in an antique stoneware pudding bowl. I could go on about how vintage and antique items are made to last and ecologically sound having already had their carbon footprint ammortised over several life times, but to be honest, beautiful (and more often than not, rustic…..) things speak to me in a way that mass produced modern thingy-ma-bobs never can.

What does a typical day in the life of Doug and Elizabeth Bell the ‘The Red Store Owners’ look like; from when you wake to when you go to sleep?

Ha!  There’s no such thing as a typical day at our place!  Living in a small rural town – and having a shop front in a small rural town – makes for busy days full of all the things we were looking for when we made the shift to the county.

On any given day we can be: on the shop floor wheeling and dealing with customers; restoring furniture in the workshop; running the local food grower’s produce exchange; taking community garden memberships and answering questions about the group; directing tourists about the town; doing our bit for the primary school (our son, Will, is in Grade 5) street stall stuff or doing the parent thing at working bees; cheering on the U12s junior footy; swapping veg garden produce or eggs from the chooks with the neighbours while having a yarn; restoring our historic home; taking the garden in hand; developing  new business ventures in the office; volunteering at the local pool during summer; catching up with friends in the area; running the kelpie pup along the river … you get the picture!

You also own an historic homestead that just happens to be right next door. Tell us about it!

I fell in love with our house when trawling the real estate internet sites, despairing of ever finding a place to live that would satisfy all of our “wish list” requirements. The white picket fence along the veranda did it for me … one click and I was gone!

The fact that the house was 1860s with its original features,  partly-renovated, opened out with French doors and a new kitchen/bathroom –  was only one factor that sealed the deal for us.  It’s not often that you can buy a property  that is beautiful yet practical for a family, has a very large yard with an orchard, historic outbuildings; established garden and mature trees – and a shop! – all right in the heard of a gorgeous picturesque village … we love it that we have so much space, but a good latté is just across the road at DIG Café, or Friday night fish and chips practically next door at the Milk Bar. Grocery shopping for me is the most stress-free I’ve ever experienced with the IGA at the corner. I trundle down with my vintage cane shopping jeep and get my community gossip fix along with my  freshly baked sour dough…it’s the best of both worlds. No queues, no car parking hassles, drink driving is a thing of the past – the pub is on the other corner! Best of all, we are lucky to have become a fixture in the town community and living right at its heart has helped with that.

How did your tree change came about?

Doug and I are country born and bred – so we haven’t so much as made a tree change, as gone back to our roots after some time away. Having a child changed our thinking somewhat. What used to be important didn’t really apply once William came along. We wanted him to enjoy the benefits of a country upbringing similar to what we had. Simple things like riding your bikes wherever you want, fishing down at the river, having space for pets or keeping chooks became more necessary. And, more importantly, being safe to grow and learn surrounded by a community that cares about its own was the setting we wanted our son to spend the formative years of his life in. Will, of course, would say he’d rather we were closer to a sushi train restaurant and laser tag!

Do you consider yourselves to be ‘Countryphiles’? Do you love country life? Why?

We love life – country or other – but having grown up in the country I guess we’d be firmly in the ‘Countryphiles’ camp. What’s not to love? Clean air, beautiful landscape, natural environment, strong community – and the Burnley Tunnel is only an hour and half away!

What aspect of country life are you loving MOST at the moment?

The frosty mornings … turning into the most beautiful blue sky days.

What is the most CHALLENGING aspect of country life? What are the ups and downs of running a store in a small country town?

Getting my required dose of retail therapy (in shops other than my own!) Running the shop myself limits me for free time. If it’s not the shop keeping me at home, it’s the ten-year-old!  Or the garden needs watering … or who’ll look after the puppy?

Tea or coffee? Do you have a favourite country café? Where and why?

Expresso like the Italians don’t tell you they have (black with shovelfuls of sugar when no one is looking). No favourites, life is too short to drink coffee in just one place!

Where was the last great meal you enjoyed/shared in the country?

Under our old quince tree out on the terrace … with friends and a vintage cellar basketful of wine!

YOUR country town’s best kept secret?

Its colourful local characters.

Would you ENCOURAGE others to live a country life? Why/why not?

Yep…why not?!

What ADVICE would you give those dreaming of making a TREE CHANGE?

Remove your rose-tinted spectacles and LIVE in the town – weekenders don’t count, sorry!

What can we expect NEXT from you/your business in the future?

The Red Store launched a website last year: www.theredstore.net.au so I’m toying with adding a blog to that. More European-style country wares for in-store, building upon our 6 years of retailing provincial homewares. And my linen cupboard definitely needs a clean out!

What would be your dream project?

A whole day on the couch! OK, a stone country house.

Can you list for us 5 specific things you turn to/do when you need of a ‘dose’ of city life?

I get to town as often as Halley’s Comet enters our solar system so my ‘dose’ of city life is usually the concentrated version. I’m happy if I get a ride on an escalator!

The Red Store
Newstead
Liz & Doug Bell