Vote for your favourite Parade business at this year’s Eastside Business Awards

When Joanne Gower left high school to work at House & Garden in 1987, she had no idea that she was embarking on a four decade career in homewares. That journey has included stints at a range of stores as well as a degree in Textile Design at RMIT and eight years running her own store in Ingham. And in all those years, one thing stands out above all others. When running a successful homewares store, nothing beats good old-fashioned customer service.

Now that she’s the store manager of Wheel & Barrow at 140 The Parade, Joanne tries to provide a warm welcome for every customer who comes through the door. “You don’t need any formalities, saying hello can just be a nice casual thing,” she says. “But I try to make sure I’m not standing behind the counter because that can be a real barrier. And even if I’ve had a bad morning, I make sure that I’m happy and friendly and full of advice when a customer walks in.”

Then there’s the music, which Joanne and the rest of the staff choose each day. “It could be jazz or old crooners, or in December we were playing Spanish Christmas music which was a lot of fun,” she laughs. “The key is that it’s not too sleepy but not too upbeat. We just want to create a good atmosphere and some people even sing as they walk around. It means this a place where people can come and enjoy themselves while they’re shopping.”

Add in little touches like gift wrapping and customer order books for when she doesn’t have an item in stock, and it’s easy to see why the store has such a dedicated following. So much so that Wheel & Barrow won the award for Best Customer Experience at the 2023 Eastside Business Awards. “It was so wonderful when that happened,” says Joanne, who wasn’t able to attend the presentation in person as she was recovering from surgery. “We’ve got a real community here so even the nearby stores came in to celebrate with us, places like Pave and Bicycle Express and Beads on Parade.”

Regular clients were also quick to offer their congratulations, and Joanne was delighted to see plenty of new customers coming into the store as well, some drawn by the award sticker displayed on the front window. That additional attention inspired her to introduce charcuterie boards on some weekends, which have been a huge hit.

As this year’s awards approach, she’s eagerly looking forward to seeing who will be nominated. “Winning the Customer Service award has definitely helped our business and it’s so lovely to get that recognition, especially because it’s voted on by the people who shop here,” she says. “So if people have a favourite store on the Parade, they should make sure they vote for them – it can really make a difference.”

Voting in the 2024 Eastside Business Awards is open until 5 pm on Thursday, March 14. Follow this link to nominate your favourite businesses.