As Victorians went about their business in the lead up to Melbourne’s annual Grand Prix event in March 2020, few of us anticipated that it would be the last time we would experience life without the presence of COVID-19. Of course, we had heard of the virus, but we didn’t experience its full force until that first major event was cancelled at the last minute and we were sent into lockdown soon after.
Throughout the pandemic, Council has made unprecedented investment towards supporting local residents and in particular, local businesses, to not just survive but to thrive.
We caught up with the owner-operators of two very different Geelong businesses to find out what the business support provided by the City of Greater Geelong has meant to them.
Candice Perus owns and operates Nest Seven, an online fashion, gifts and homewares business which ‘opened its doors’ in April 2017.
The general assumption throughout the pandemic has been that online stores have flourished with many Australians working from home, living in lockdown and shopping online more than usual. This isn’t quite the reality, said Candice about her experience of the pandemic.
The online world became congested with many small businesses pivoting into the online world. This greatly effected visibility. With many moving their work life to their homes it meant more lounge wear so less corporate wear and no need for new Rollies to wear to work! The cancelled birthday parties usually meant no gift purchase and the financial uncertainty meant many were being conservative with their spending.
Candice also struggled and missed the social contact with customers during the times when the ‘click and collect’ aspect of her business couldn’t operate.Candice accessed the grant writing support offered by the City which she found extremely helpful and ultimately allowed her business to be successful in an application for a $5000 grant from the City of Greater Geelong.
The grant writing support was invaluable in the application process. The financial support has been pivotal in us reconnecting with our customers via the assistance of two other local small businesses, said Candice.
The grant meant that Candice was able to support other businesses by engaging the services of both Nicola from Arcane Agency and Kerri from Yellow Door Digital, both Geelong small businesses owned and operated by local Geelong women and Mums.
‘Engaging the services of Nicola and Kerri has been reinvigorating for my business,’ Candice said.
Helen Duncan is an arts practitioner whose business has also been significantly disrupted by COVID-19.
As a significant part of our business model we offered dance classes for adults through our studio in Geelong West. We had to close the studio down because it just wasn’t feasible to remain open, said Helen who adds that for people working in the arts it has had a profound impact:
This is not just work but for us but something we feel innately from a raw, personal place. Like all of us, our families and emotions have been hit and that feeds into our artistic practice and how we show up to facilitate arts experiences for others. It disrupts it and changes it. It’s been a confronting time to make art.
Helen explains that the arts industry has been one of the worst hit industries. She describes the sad irony by which the arts – through films, television programs, books – has been critical in diverting us and helping us all get through COVID but many working in the arts just haven’t been able to access appropriate levels of support for loss of income and revenue.
The nuances of the arts industry’s employment and contract structures have been largely overlooked, resulting in many of my peers and arts businesses not being able to access the support desperately needed during periods of lockdown.
Trying to collaborate over Zoom for a tactile practice like dance has it’s challenges Helen explains before reflecting that arts practitioners are natural problem solvers and that some of the concepts wouldn’t have been imagined without the challenges.
Helen was successful in gaining the City’s Arts Industry Commission funding and used it to present the Micro Moves Project, a movement exploration and film collaboration with Zoee Marsh, Chris Bryan and Corey Hague.
Micro Moves offered a series of short films that aimed to showcase local artistic talent set against unique central Geelong backdrops – from the grand to the easily-missed location.
It was very validating to be offered a pool of funds to run a project with proper resources. That was the most critical thing to the health of my practice. It meant that I could support and pay collaborators equitable and appropriate fees for their work.
The films were made available around Geelong via QR codes which people could click on while waiting for a coffee. It wasn’t a difficult commitment to ask of the audience.
‘It was a gentle reminder that we still have a thriving arts scene and have amazing artists in our region,’ said Helen.
Helen says she is fond of working with people with different levels of dance experience.
It opens up the choreographic possibilities. Everyone’s body speaks. It doesn’t need to be trained. Working with professional and non-professional dancers…I find that interesting and rewarding.
Helen says that audiences have enjoyed seeing what it is that dancers do without having to walk into a theatre. She says that she has had wonderful feedback, particularly from younger audiences.
Helen says that for her next collaboration she wants to bring audiences back into theatres and engage in ways that makes them feel safe, supported and happy to be there.
Gentle care is a real focus. I’m pondering how to hold an audience with care and sensitivity, treading gently and kindly and sustainably. My focus isn’t on big fireworks and the spectacular but about responding to a universal vulnerability.
Candice’s business, Nest Seven, can be found at www.nestseven.com.au, on Facebook and on Instagram.
Helen’s projects including Micro Moves can be found at www.helen-duncan.com.
For information about accessing the City’s COVID-19 support for businesses, visit www.geelongaustralia.com.au/covid19.
