Professionals Serendipity 
Narelle Wenzel, owner of Whispers Fashion House, reveals just what it takes to stay ahead of the curve of style on Tamborine Mountain.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How long have you had this store?
My first business was 30 years ago—it was actually started in the days before it was called Gallery Walk (it was myself and another lady who put in that name!) 16 years ago I had a really small shop as part of another business next door. When this became vacant after 12 months, I moved in here. It was originally called Whispers on Tamborine. We specialize in clothes that are a little bit different, a lot of natural fibers, a lot of eco-friendly clothing, bamboo, cotton… we’ve got Queensland designers that specialize in organic cotton and natural fibers. Plus, we do a huge range of Italian clothing. Silk, linen, a little bit of cotton. There are beautiful pieces in soft colors, it’s very popular at the moment.
What kinds of clothing do you sell here?
It’s just my taste, it’s more of a European taste. People find things here that they haven’t seen in other shops. Coming to Tamborine Mountain, so many of my customers are from the Gold Coast and Brisbane, and other places, not just locals, and so to bring those people up to the mountain I need to be able to offer something different and at really good prices.
What was your inspiration to open Whispers Fashion House?
I had a dream. It started 16 years ago: I had a gift shop, and I was approached by the owner of the business next door to start my shop in there as part of hers. Less than two weeks before opening I had a dream. I’m a spiritual person, and I believe that if you’re sent a message it’s for a reason, and you should follow it. In this dream I went into the shop, and there it was, full of colorful, beautiful clothes. In the center there were glass cabinets with jewelry, scarves, nice displays. I woke up and I said to my husband “I’m not having a gift shop, I’m going into fashion!” He said “You don’t know anything about fashion!” I said “It doesn’t matter: I’ve been sent a message and I have to follow it!” It was such a vivid dream, and had such a profound impact on me that I jumped on a plane and flew to Sydney, and not knowing anything about fashion I went to different places, bought some lovely clothes, and opened my fashion store. And I’m still here! I’ve got three staff. They are great at doing styling sessions. We don’t just sell a product: we really help a woman put an outfit together. We have a lot of return customers. We have a pretty good VIP list.
Can you tell us more about your VIP program?
People who like our shop just sign up and a few times a year when we do our major promotions or a major sale, we send them a text message, or email to let them know it’s happening. Our customers know they’ll always find something on special here if they’re looking for a bargain, but the VIP customers are invited to our special events like the fashion show we had this past weekend. They receive a discount on all purchases they make after becoming a VIP and it costs nothing to sign up.
You have a lot of exclusivity with brands here. How do you acquire those?
When you buy quality product, you become a client of that company, and the policy is that they don’t sell to anyone else in the area. If you’re buying cheap, that means mass-produced product. We do a bit of cheap and cheerful as well as designer, not everybody wants designer clothes Our customer is 45 or up. The more mature woman who wants an edgy look, something a bit different, stylish and flattering. With cheaper clothing, it’s the same styles coming out year after year. Sometimes they will copy a designer, but the fabric is usually polyester. I do a few inexpensive things but I try not to do polyesters. Anybody can get it because the product is cheaper and they sell to as many shops as they can. Whereas when you have a better quality product, there is an unwritten rule that they cater for you. In fact, I’ve just finished my buying for next summer, that is how far ahead I work with my brands. We get deliveries every day, so there’s always something different.
Do you find certain items are more popular?
It’s changing all the time. I get approaches from companies to stock their product. I very rarely buy online. I find that it’s hard to gauge the quality, the fit, true color of the fabric, and all of those things are so important. I like to fly down to Sydney or Melbourne; I’ve just recently attended three trade fairs. I’ve been doing showings in Brisbane, not only for winter but for next summer. A lot of our clothing is made to order, which is good, it means that I can have styles that are different.
What is your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area?
I just think that Tamborine Mountain has the most beautiful, well-relaxed atmosphere. A lot of people who move here come for healing, they’ve had something happen in their life. The mountain has great energy, and people feel that when they come up here. I always advise people to feel the nature of Tamborine Mountain, not just the street of shops. Being on an extinct volcano gives us the beauty of nature.
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