Town Feature- Goondiwindi from Regional Living Magazine
Motivated by a love of interior design and all things beautiful, Anna Dawson has found her niche in a boutique homewares store in Goondiwindi.
Anna had her sights set on a vastly different career when she was studying at Sydney University and the University of New England, graduating with a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics.
“I completed my honours dissertation
on cattle feedlotting and worked for a beef exporting company in Brisbane,” Anna says. “I also studied Japanese, so I was able to liaise with the Japanese customers.”
She moved to Goondiwindi in 2001 and worked in grain trading but the demands of trying to keep abreast of the commodities market with her three small children, Charlie, Harry and Lily, proved too much so Anna turned her attention to motherhood, volunteering, and then retail.
One of Anna’s positions was helping the then-owner of the quaintly named store, Nutmeg Home, with styling.
When the business came on the market in 2018, Anna embraced the opportunity and bought the store.
While Nutmeg Home was a well-established entity, Anna put her own stamp on it, ordering a fresh range of products from new suppliers.
Under Anna’s influence, the store has become a little more eclectic.
Nutmeg Home is stylish, brimming with unique furniture including sofas, armchairs, tables and consoles.
Beautiful homewares adorn the store, including a large selection of lamps, cushions, dinnerware, as well as bespoke pieces from local potters.
Original artwork from talented local artists covers the walls.
Giftware abounds, including wedding presents, books and leather products just perfect for men.
Nutmeg Home has continued to evolve, and Anna also offers an interior design styling service, either in-store or in-home.
Anna delights in helping clients achieve their perfect home and specialises in custom orders.
“People say to me, ‘I don’t know how you put it all together; I never thought of doing that’,” Anna explains. “Someone will send me a photo of a room and say ‘help me’. I find furniture to fill those rooms or simply rearrange the existing pieces to achieve an aesthetically pleasing look.
“A customer might be looking for lamps to go with certain coloured bedding, so I’ll source the fabric and have them made.”
Nutmeg Home has a league of loyal customers and being on the Queensland- New South Wales border, it also attracts significant passing trade.
“Every day we have visitors in our store commenting that they have nothing like this in their hometown,” she concludes.
Words: Liz Tickner Images: Rebecca Cover and supplied
