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Storytime. “She’s so sad,” twenty-something Mick said, “I want to give her something, but I don’t know what.” Mick is a local tradie and regular in the shop. His mum’s mum had passed away a few weeks earlier. “I want to give her something, so she knows I care but not over the top like.” “How about a candle?,” I said. “A candle?” Mick seemed unsure. “Yeah. We have these Aussie made candles. They last for ages. The scent is fresh and calm, like the bush. Maybe your mum could light it each night in memory.”

Mick bought the candle. A couple of weeks later he told us how much it meant to his mum to light the candle each night. “Thanks,” he said with a smile.

Some days, it’s not what we sell but the stories we hear that bring us the most joy.

Storytime: Joe

Storytime. Joe is 89 years old. He lives in a nursing home. When he moved there, he was limited as to what he could bring. The old shoebox with the collection of cards he’d received was the first thing he chose.

In that box are cards from his time as a local community Aussie rules coach. Parents and players had written cards over the years and Joe had kept them. “Each card is a memory”, he says with a smile, looking through his collection.

The oldest card Joe has is from 40 years ago from a player grateful for Joe’s help. Here it is so many years on, making Joe’s day.

Greeting cards hold the most wonderful memories.

Storytime: a bouquet of purple pens

Storytime. A guy in his mid 70s put eight different purple pens and markers on the counter. “Someone likes purple,” I said with a smile in my usual, somewhat cliché, small talk at the counter way. His lip quivered, a tear formed. I felt a chill. He faintly smiled. “They’re for my wife,” he spoke slowly and softly, “she has dementia. Purple was, is, her favourite colour. I want to give her things she might remember.”

I opened a pack of purple tissue paper and wrapped the pens into a small posy and tied that with a purple ribbon. “She will love that,” he said, with a broad smile.

The stories we hear are personal and heart-warming. They make retail more meaningful.

We are grateful to offer Tremor, the first every Ty Beanie Boo in space

Storytime: the Spirax Music Book and the song about our town

Storytime. 12 years ago, when I sold Toby his first Spirax Music Book, I told him to come and play for me one day. He was in high school then and told me he had plans to be a songwriter. As I was closing up a couple of nights ago, this guy came in with a guitar over his shoulder. “Hey, I’m Toby. Remember me? I promised you a song.” Next thing you know, the Spirax Music Book was on the counter and open and he was playing his guitar and singing. It was a ballad about growing up in our small town.

Some days we experience pure joy in discovering the creativity of others using what we sell.