Opening a new shop during a pandemic and recession seems risky but that is just what Botanicals and Co owner Jarred Lysaght did, and business has never been better.
Mr Lysaght has always wanted to open a cafe and gift shop in Mandurah when an opportunity came up to move to a bigger premises earlier this year.
As COVID-19 restrictions came into effect, Mr Lysaght was feeling nervous about renovating during a pandemic, but he decided to continue with his plans.
"We had a shop just around the corner from here, which we closed in April due to restrictions and then during those two months we focused on building this new store," he said.
"It would've been great to not have the two month closure and it was really nerve racking thinking how COVID-19 was going to play out."
But it was a good move, with Botanicals and Co being swamped with support from the Mandurah community since it opened on July 25.
"I thought less people would be out spending money but since opening we've been doing really well," he said.
"On busy days people are waiting to sit at tables.
"I think people are more conscious about supporting small businesses where they can now given the current times."
It was really nerve racking thinking how COVID-19 was going to play out.
- Botanicals and Co owner Jarred Lysaght
Since opening, Mr Lysaght has been able to buy a majority of his goods locally and employ more staff to keep up with demand.
"At the moment there's nine of us with six new people we've taken on all from Mandurah," he said.
"So we've been able to create new jobs post COVID as well as buying as much as we can from local shops.
"Most of our products are from small to medium businesses."
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With a focus on environmentally friendly products, Mr Lysaght hopes his store and cafe brings something different to the Mandurah community.
"I live in Perth and drive here to be able to bring this store to locals," he said.
"People always ask why I didn't build it in Perth but I like Mandurah and it's a good space to create something nice for locals.
"They get everything in Perth we need more places like this here."