The work of Nicola Cerini has attracted a dedicated following since the designer began in the 1990s. So the news Ms Cerini has opened a boutique store in Ballarat - the first dedicated shopfront of her career - has caused something of a stir in some quarters.
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"Beyond excited that she has come back to Ballarat," one colleague at The Courier said. In the strange ripples created by a pandemic year, her distinctive creations - often drawing on the beauty of native flora and fauna - might never have been displayed in the new Main Road location had it not been for COVID-19.
Ms Cerini explained that she had returned to work after a five-year hiatus and was looking to sell her wares in design markets or wholesale. And then the coronavirus hit.
I just feel like it's going to work for me, and sometimes you've just got to go with that gut feeling, don't you?
- Nicola Cerini, designer
"Things have really radically changed this year," she said. "And I guess it's always been a bit of a dream for me the idea of having a shop and showroom.
"I wanted to commit to being in Ballarat and not just operate online. I think it's a really nice thing for people to be able to come and see the products. So I started looking around."
After an encouraging trial run on Sturt Street, where Ms Cerini set up a pop-up shop in the old Bendigo Bank building, she took on the rent of a Main Road shop. It opened earlier this month.
"I wanted somewhere that was a bit more distinctive, that had a bit more of a personality," she said. "I love this strip on Main Road, and all the traders down here are such a lovely community."
It is a slightly unexpected return to a city where she first moved when she was 16 years old - and a place she credits with inspiring her career.
"It was a hard move at that age, but what I found here was the most amazing, creative community," she said.
"There was a very strong music scene and arts scene - and I was so inspired by that when I moved here. It probably encouraged me to move towards a creative career."
Ms Cerini moved to Melbourne, where she studied at RMIT then began work from a studio in Flinders Lane where her designs quickly gained a following.
Following a sea change to Torquay, she returned with her daughter to Ballarat, where her parents still live. Since coming back, she has been encouraged to see a lot of other artistic businesses thriving in the area - she mentions the Crafty Squirrel, ceramicist Ruby Pilven and The Little Cupcake store as examples.
"Culturally there's so much happening here," she said.
"A lot of people like myself have moved here and brought with them their creative enterprises. Really, it's very exciting."
She admitted to a certain amount of trepidation at the move to a shopfront on Main Road after a career based on studio work or selling wholesale and to her mailing list.
"I've often thought 'Why am I opening a shop in the middle of a pandemic?'"
But she said she felt that it felt right at this point in her career - and that the repercussions of COVID-19, could in a roundabout way mean it was the right move to make.
"I was actually thinking of moving back to Melbourne but I didn't really want to do that. With this regional focus after we have had this crazy year, people are now thinking of moving out of [Melbourne].
"Based on all of that, I just thought it's a calculated risk.
"I just feel like it's going to work for me, and sometimes you've just got to go with that gut feeling, don't you?"
- Nicola Cerini's boutique store is open at 36A Main Rd. See nicolacerini.com for more details.
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