AMount Gambier business owner is celebrating a significant milestone at the helm of a popular home décor and gift store.
DJ Interiors owner Christine Try, who will commemorate five years of owning the iconic business on Monday, is only the business’ third owner since its inception in the 1950s.
DJ Interiors’ has been in its current location since the late 1990s or early 2000s under the previous ownership of Spencer and Sharon Buck.
To mark the momentous occasion there will be events and daily specials throughout the week including being able to pop a balloon to earn a discount off purchases, so keep up to date on the DJ Interiors Facebook page.
Mrs Try said first and foremost she would like to thank the support she has received from wholesalers, members of the local business community and valued staff and customers.
“I would just like to say thank you to Mount Gambier and all of the people in the Limestone Coast for coming to visit us when they’re in town and also the businesses in Mount Gambier who have supported me and worked with us,” she said.
“There’s a great business community in Mount Gambier and it’s been really great to make friends and have that support.
“It’s to really say thank you. Thank you for supporting us and for shopping with us and really taking me into their lives and allowing me to be a part of some of their momentous occasions.
“I really love working with the customers, we get to see all sides of the events and human life whether it’s the birth of a new baby or someone’s getting married, so we get to work with people and friends and families as they celebrate on top of just day to day shopping.”
Mrs Try said it was a great milestone and testament to the town and the staff that her business had made it through what’s become quite an eventful five years.
“When I took over back in 2018 we had no idea what was going happen 18 months later and so getting through our years with the pandemic has been trying at times, but also we were lucky to have the support of the whole town along with all the other businesses in town, people really did embrace the shop local theme,” she said.
“We have had to build the business up from when it was just about to close, Sharon and Spencer Buck, the previous owners were close to closing the business had a buyer not been found.”
Mrs Try said she has been keeping some traditional aspects of the business while also updating it to keep up with the times.
“There’s some very classic traditional brands that we work with but we are also introducing new, different ideas and new modern ideas of shopping and stock,” she said.
“I have always known it as this building and so for people to come back in, they have got fond memories of their children and for us to slowly modernise, keeping some traditional aspects so that people know they can get a gift for a wedding or an anniversary.
“We have got plans going forward to have a full shop makeover, that’s probably in another five years.
“Just to slowly modernise, get our website up and running, more stuff on social media so going with the trends and trying to get the DJ’s name known better throughout Australia.
“We plan our keeping the shop going as it has been and then expanding into social media so we’ll carry on with our lines that everyone loves like our Willow Tree, Charlie Bears and Disney.
“We become the brand that everyone still knows and loves and just modernising when we need to.”
