Professionals Serendipity 
Anna and James Tyson are longtime members of the Tamborine Mountain community, known for their contributions to the area and to many local groups. Today they give us a little more of their insight into their experiences, as well as the ins and outs of their store on Gallery Walk: Nardoo Lavender.
As locals, what are your opinions on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
It’s beautiful. It’s fabulous. We support the local community. The RSL had a loan for the war memorial which we paid out with the council. The president at the time was an electrician, and we said “What will it take for you to come out and see our pumps? If we paid out that loan, would that help?” We went down and paid out their loan, and he came out that day! We also support the Tamborine Cricket Club. We bought new side screens for them at great expense from England. We believe that if you support your local community, they’ll support you.
For those who might not understand, what is it you sell here?
We only sell Australian and New Zealand-made products. We sell collectibles, antiques, small stuff. Most people love it, they keep coming back.
Obviously, you specialize in lavender products. Why might people want to purchase those? What are the benefits of lavender?
Well, lavender has so many benefits, I couldn’t really list all of them. It’s been used since the Crimean War— Florence Nightingale used it to help the soldiers, to put on wounds and to calm them down. I think the main benefits, in my opinion, are the calming elements of lavender. A lot of people use it to help them sleep. It’s very helpful for people undergoing chemotherapy, it allays the side effects thereof. It’s terrific to put on burns, small abrasions, whatever. I even use it on the animals, on little abrasions, and it’s fine.
How long have you owned this store?
We had a business in Lahey Road for 20 years, and we’ve been here on Gallery Walk for about two years. When we first came here in ’88, we had a nursery. We met heaps of truck drivers bringing in plants. They said “We have to bring lavender plants from Victoria all the time,” and we thought, oh, that’s a good idea!
Do you have a typical kind of customer?
Local people are starting to come back. They don’t usually like Gallery Walk, however, we had a bit of a party here for the local people and it was very successful. It was a huge night—they kept buying things because “Oh, we didn’t realise it is still as good as it used to be!”
What do you believe that your store provides to the area, above all?
I think it’s different to most of the others. The fact that we stick with only Australian and New Zealand-made products makes us a bit different to quite a few other stores.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
Talking to people, definitely. We get to talk to people from everywhere. We get people who come back and say “Do you remember me? I was here five years ago, or three years ago, or I remember your shop in Lahey Road and I was just wondering if this was the same or not.” It’s very heartening, actually.
Is there anything else you wanted to go on the record?
Yes, we collect medals. Queen Victoria medals dating all the way back to the Crimean War, 1856. We’ve collected them for many years, they’re beautiful. If people are interested in that, they’re welcome to come in.
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