Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
Once, Geoff Walker owned Cronulla Pottery, a successful business providing handmade goods to the community. Now his endeavours to provide people with quality products have been put to a slightly different purpose: being one half of the team that runs Modern Classic on Gallery Walk. Today he shares his experiences in this venture with us.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How would you describe what Modern Classic is and what you sell?
Mostly interior décor and wall art. Collectible items. Tons of good quality costume jewellery. We also have some authentic Aboriginal art pieces and t-shirts, which are made in Australia and designed by young talent on the Gold Coast and Brisbane. When we get the international tourists, they love the authenticity of the Aboriginal work and quite a few of the other souvenir-type items. They’re tremendously popular.
Do you find that any particular items are the most popular? Do you have a bestseller?
It’s erratic, actually. There are lots of new clients from some of the latest subdivisions, out towards Jimboomba and Beaudesert. I’ve stopped on the top of hills going that way and to the horizon there’s nothing but brand-new roofs. And of course, very few of those new houses have anything on the walls. So, a lot of the wall art stuff is sold to people from all those new developments. Everything’s handmade. Chieu likes to go for quality. All the items are high quality and because we get so many regulars, you’ve got to have a lot of turnover, so you haven’t got the same boring things on each time. To facilitate that, he doesn’t really mark things up terribly much. Things are relatively inexpensive for what they are. There’s a good turnover of items, so it’s always interesting for people who come regularly.
How would you describe your role here? What’s an average workload for you?
Chieu is the owner of the store. I’m the relief! I’m called in on the days to sit, usually a couple of days a week. He first began to work for me at my old business, and I had another one in Surfers Paradise that he ran. We’ve been associated in retail business for nearly 30 years. I restock walls and shelves and things when there’s sales… try to be charming to clients, and as helpful as I can! We open formally at 10am and close at 4pm, and we’re open every day apart from Christmas Day. I do two days a week here, and Chieu does the rest. It’s often full-on, but it can be incredibly erratic dependent on the weather and other events. If it’s a beautiful sunny day at the beaches, that’s where people go, tending not to come into the hinterland. We still get the regulars who don’t go beaching every day, though!
Are there any particular trends in your clientele?
No, it’s a broad spectrum of people. Occasionally you’ll get a busload of people from a retirement village or something, or other groups that’ll come in a bus. Occasionally garden clubs or PROBUS or that kind of group. Many of the older generation are already trying to get rid of stuff, even if there’s lots of lovely things here. But then they’ll say “Oh, I bet my daughter would love this. This’ll suit her new place.” It alters all day, every day. It’s extraordinary over the years how I’ve learnt that you can almost tell from the first client of the day what kind of people you’re going to get in and what kind of thing will sell on that day. You might sell ten of one particular item one day and think “God, I’ll never catch up replacing them.” And then the next day, none, it’s something else. It’s fascinating, in retail.
Are you a local? What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
I’ve lived at Burleigh Heads for 40 years. There are some extraordinary creative minds here, and many interested in gardens and garden clubs and that kind of group activity. Hiking, bushwalking… There are also many who live here who work down on the coast or Brisbane. We love the locals, we do get a lot of regular clients, and many are quite fascinating to talk to, especially people who have retired here or lived here a long time. They’re from varied backgrounds, which makes for an interesting community.
What do you think Modern Classic really provides to the area?
A diverse array of lifestyle and home décor items. Mainly, I feel we give inspiration for people for their decorative concepts. But it’s just an interesting place to visit. We often hear that from people who’ve been here regularly, that they love coming in because we always have such interesting stuff. You want diversity, you’ve got it!
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
Communicating with people, with the variety of people. They’re from all walks of life, all backgrounds, all qualifications, and from all over the world. Also, arriving here on my days off, opening the door and discovering what else is new. There’s always new stuff, it’s a surprise every time I open the door.
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, email your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com.
