Five Quarters for fun

By Gina Krohn

The Five Quarters corner was a busy place to be on Saturday, 7 June, when the store played host to the Beanie Master. ‘We thoroughly enjoy our younger customers,’ says owner Richelle. ‘They feel quite at home in our store, so we thought we’d have them over for some fun.’ Five Quarters’ first community event was an afternoon with lots of give-aways, a sausage sizzle, face-painting and the draw of the Beanie Kid colouring competition, with 10 competition winners and a lucky winner from the prize draw.

Thanks to Helensburgh, Otford and Stanwell Park Public Schools, Holy Cross School, the Community Pre-school, Gum Trees and Kids Korner for promoting the colouring competition, to the 148 children who entered, Al & Lissa’s Family Meats for the sausage sizzle and to all the mums and dads who attended with their kids!

Richelle says FQ plans to hold more community events in the future as they are not only great fun for all concerned, they add another dimension to shopping locally. ‘An event generates excitement and, while it obviously promotes our business, it’s also another way for us to give something back to our community.

She believes that there is nothing to be lost but a lot to be gained by shopping locally. ‘Although we only have a handful of stores in Helensburgh and Stanwell Park, there is a wonderful selection of goods on offer here as well as the consistently friendly service that is provided by all of our local retailers. The comments on shopping here from outsiders are extremely complimentary. You can buy here what others travel to get - sounds strange but it’s true! We obviously want to encourage people to shop locally, as the more you support us, the more your local businesses are able to support the community. Local retailers are putting time, effort and lots of money into making your shopping experience enjoyable and your town centre attractive (at their expense, not their landlords).’

If you want to be in the know about future FQ events, drop in and add your name to their database. As well as being notified of upcoming events you’ll also be informed of new items available, advance notice of sale items and useful tips on decorating, recipes and household handy hints.