Small business month: barbecues, t-shirts, and happier parents

The locally owned and operated Barbecues Galore Franchise in Armidale are the local specialists in barbecues, outdoor furniture and indoor wood, decorative gas and electric heating.

Sam and Reece are two mates who met at UNE 10 years ago, after finishing uni decided to make Armidale their home with their partners. Reece lives in Uralla with his wife Caitlin and daughter Ayla. Sam lives in Armidale with his partner Eliza.

An opportunity arose for Sam and Reece to take on the local Barbecues Galore franchise, where they had both worked for some time, earlier this year. Officially taking over as the new owners in April, the pair have brought new life to the long standing local business in Rusden Street. 

“We are Armidale’s only dedicated barbecue and backyard entertainment shop with an extensive range and knowledge on creating that perfect backyard zone and how to get the most out of your methods of cooking that perfect meal,” Reece said.

“We are also specialists in indoor wood heating. Being members of the Australian Home Heating Association, we pride ourselves on providing not just the best range of wood heaters but also specialist advice backed by industry best practice.”

“We translate this also into a range of decorative gas and Electric heating options as well!”

The Organic Tshirt is a family business based in Glen Innes, NSW. It was founded by a couple Sandro and Stefania in 2011 in Sydney.

The brand was created to fill a market gap by reintroducing fashion manufacturing in Australia. Sandro and Stefania identified that overseas mass production by big corporations was becoming unsustainable for both the fashion industry and the environment.

“Large companies focused only on producing high volumes of clothing quickly and making them readily available to the public,” Stefania said.

To challenge this trend, The Organic Tshirt leads the way in promoting the slow fashion approach, considering all aspects of supply chains, including people and the environment. The brand’s sustainable approach includes no overstock and producing small quantities of clothing, emphasising manufacturing on demand. It also prioritises style, design, quality, and fair pricing.

Sandro has extensive experience in the fashion industry, having worked for big companies in Italy and Australia. Meanwhile, Stefania is passionate about everything natural, which inspired her to create organic cotton and Merino Wool T-shirts for The Organic Tshirt with Sandro.

“The Organic Tshirt has a sustainable approach that includes reducing stock and producing small quantities of clothing, emphasising manufacturing and printing on demand,” Stefano said.

“We also prioritise style, design, quality, and fair pricing.”

The Organic Tshirt provides a range of services, from patternmaking to creating samples and production. Discover a great shopping experience with our website. Enjoy the convenience of finding locally manufactured clothing in a single location.

Life Changes Tamworth is a newly established counselling business focusing solely on providing support for locals experiencing perinatal mental health and parenting challenges.  It is run by Kerryn Smith, a born and bred Tamworth local accredited social worker with a passion for everything perinatal.

“I specialise in providing mental health support for perinatal anxiety and depression during pregnancy and after birth, birth trauma, miscarriage, stillbirth, fertility difficulties, parenting and relationship challenges associated with becoming a parent and support during the various transitions of parenthood,” Kerryn said.

“There are significant moments and experiences in our lives that can leave us changed forever, including fertility issues, becoming a parent, birth trauma and losing a loved one.”

“Some can bring positive change to our lives and are welcomed.  However, some moments can be more difficult to accept and leave us in a distressed state, unsure how to navigate our lives forward in a meaningful way.”

“My lived experience of becoming a parent has been a huge contributing factor to my passion and dedication in the perinatal space,” Kerryn said.

“I am especially passionate about supporting new parents in their adjustment of their expectations and re-negotiating their identities, through the challenges (and changes) of conception, pregnancy, postnatal periods, parental and relationship adjustments.”

Kerryn has extensive specialised training in perinatal mental health, grief and loss, and uses evidence based therapies (EMDR is one therapy that helps to process birth trauma memories). She also runs parenting classes to prepare parents for the realities of parenthood.