Within hours of the launch of the Buy From The Bush Marketplace, Dubbo's Frank and Enid was already gaining "sales and lots of followers".
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Store owner Barb Poulson is one of more than 250 small businesses to sign up to the new online emporium launched by the movement founded by Grace Brennan and sponsored by PayPal Australia.
Twelve months ago, Frank and Enid, struggling as the drought hurt retailing, was saved from closure by the boost in sales it received from Buy From The Bush (BFTB).
Mrs Poulson was on Thursday excited to be part of the next chapter of BFTB.
"This morning I've had sales and lots more followers," she said.
"Messages, I've got well-wishing messages on Facebook already this morning."
The retailer said connecting with a wide audience, including metro consumers, remained a focus this year.
"I think it's going to be important again, because of COVID, so it's going to help take me through into the new year again and set me up hopefully again, with another influx, yes," Mrs Poulson said.
While Frank and Enid already had its own e-commerce site, many of the small and microbusinesses involved in BFTB did not have a website with the ability to accept sales.
Mrs Brennan said the marketplace had been designed with that in mind.
"That's what we want to be, we want to enable people who are living in the middle of nowhere to sell their beautiful wares," she said.
"So now they don't need to have an e-commerce platform, they can register and sell through the marketplace in a pretty simple few steps and connect with customers across the globe."
Mrs Brennan said amid challenges of drought and bushfires and now COVID-19 challenge, being in the online space was increasingly important.
"We've seen the benefits of online shopping for especially remote communities, but now globally everyone understands that in this context of lockdown, online shopping is the new frontier," she said.
"And so the Buy From The Bush Marketplace is an easy way for people to support Australian businesses, small businesses, makers and creators living remotely and helping them rebuild after what has been a difficult year for everybody, but obviously in the wake of drought and fires, there's going to be a long-term recovery required.
"So we hope the marketplace will help us do that."
The movement's driving force said the marketplace had capacity to expand.
"We'd love businesses, if they're in a rural or remote area to get online and register their interest," Mrs Brennan said.
"It's going to be a curated site, we're trying to sell the best of the bush, so much like our social feeds, there will be all sorts of interesting things to find.
"So if you're a seller and you're interested, get online and register and we'll send through the information."
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
