A wool fashion pop-up shop that opened in the Armidale Mall this week is part of a long-term scheme to bring new life to the city centres.
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Fleece2Fashion - who run the annual awards for Australian wool fashion - opened their doors at 1/165 Beardy Street on Wednesday morning.
The site is one of five spaces Renew Armidale has available in the Mall under a 30-day rolling agreement with property owners. The organisation began in January to revitalise Armidale and Guyra's CBDs.
"It gives people starting a business a chance to see if it's a goer, or if the community would like to participate, without a huge capital outlay," president Aileen MacDonald said.
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"We look down empty streets, and think nothing is happening. We're trying to create vibrancy... By doing this, people might start coming back into the centre."
The wool shop has already attracted plenty of attention. As Fleece2Fashion board members Liz Foster and Jess Webb set up the shop, intrigued members of the public would come in.
"It shows there's a lot of interest and demand for something different, and for attractive retail options in town," Ms Webb said.
The shop promotes wool and fashion from local and Australia-wide designers, including Lady Kate Knitwear, the Herd Store (in Tamworth and Scone), and Bush Beautique (in Young). Bluey Merino's active wear and outdoor apparel are made from Walcha wool.
Customers can also buy garments that have been on parade in previous Fleece2Fashion shows.
"It's been a dream of Fleece2Fashion to showcase wool garments," Ms Foster said. "Probably the biggest negative I've had was people asking where I can buy it. Some shops have got little bits of it. Uralla does it well; Armidale doesn't."
She predicts this year's wool awards, at Armidale PLC on the weekend of July 6, will be spectacular. The main theme is Abba's Mamma Mia!, and her team has already received lots of collections, particularly from tertiary college students.
Catriona Rowntree, Nine's Getaway presenter, will MC the evening, while judges include designers Akira Isogawa and Penny Merriman, daughter of the former Australian Wool Innovation chairman. (Her jumpers are for sale at the shop.) Tickets for the event have almost sold out.
Ms Foster and Ms Webb invite the New England community to visit their store.
"We're asking the community to support local retail," Ms Webb said. "It would endorse us opening our doors for longer, and maybe to more designers and brands down the track."
The shop is open until July 13. This is the first Renew Armidale initiative to stay for longer than a week. Armidale Regional Council's waste to art shop ran for five days at the start of the month.
Aileen MacDonald has plans for more shops and events to follow. She'd like to have a small festival with entertainment and street art in the Mall in September to promote the pop-up shops. Nor does it have to be retail; community organisations could hold activities such as family history workshops.
She also hopes to start a similar scheme in Guyra. "That's the whole reason we're doing it," she said, "but we thought it would have to start off in Armidale first."
She envisages an outdoor cinema and night markets in summer - possibly tying into TroutFest on the October long weekend.
"It would be another promotion for the festival and the region, and encourage people to come into town," she said.
She encouraged New Englanders to help rebuild their towns, and make them more vibrant and creative.
"Just because it's winter doesn't mean we go to sleep! Enjoy our spaces!"