It's our Birthday!

Did you know that more than half of the social enterprises* that open around the world close within the first three years of operation?  It’s an understandable statistic.  Operating any kind of business is challenging, particularly in tough conomic times.  So, it's no surprise that celebrating another birthday is a real cause for celebration here at BOOM Clunes.

What we've achieved - through our shop

Entering our fourth year of operation, BOOM Clunes has just signed another three-year option on the beautiful State Bank building and is all set to keep doing what we do best.  Since opening we’ve operated 5 – 7 days a week with the support of a team of retail volunteers (thankyou!) who’ve helped us raise more than $75000 in income for local suppliers each year.  It’s an impressive scorecard for any social enterprise, not least, one that launched during a pandemic and operates in a small rural town.

What we've achieved - in our co-work space

In addition to the shop, upstairs we’ve provided co-working desks, meeting rooms, serviced offices and even a walking machine to keep fit while you zoom for people who want to work in the place they live.  In the last census Hepburn Shire was identified as one of a handful of entrepreneurial hotspots.  It’s another statistic that rings true for BOOM Clunes.  We’ve become a place where many people who opted to work or run their business remotely have decided to work.  So remotely in fact, that it isn’t unusual for some of our co-workers to be logging into meetings with colleagues around the world!

Serviced offices are available on a short-term or long-term basis; with two offices currently available.  Co-working Passes are available for $275 inc GST a year at www.boomclunes.org.

Diversifying our revenue opportunities through both the shop and the co-working space has helped us build resilience as a business.  It’s also helped us build social capital, creating strong connections with many talented professionals and suppliers who are invested in the success of BOOM Clunes, just as we are.

Going forward

But we aren’t resting on our laurels.  Turning four doesn’t mean we’ve nailed it.  In fact, what it really means is that we’ve made it through the honeymoon period and now it’s time to really knuckle down.  As BOOM Clunes moves into this next stage of our social enterprise we are seeking to leverage what we’ve learnt, building on the human, social and financial capital that has helped BOOM Clunes get this far. 

“We want BOOM Clunes to be a space where people from diverse industries can think, work and network,” said Peter Chandler, Past President of Clunes Neighbourhood House.  “But we also want them to be a part of the community.  Part of where people shop.  Part of a place where people are doing business to help strengthen the community and local economy.”

“It’s central to how we operate,” explained Peter, “And why we are planning a big birthday celebration so people can see what we are talking about firsthand.”

BOOM Clunes will celebrate on Saturday, 11th May 2024 from 10am til 3pm. 

Festivities include:

Guided Tours.  No need to register, simply pop into the store to discover some of the history of the building, as well as how the Co-Working space works.

Breakfast Book Club at 10.30am til 11.30am.  Love our shop and always up for a good book?  Then why not join in with our Breakfast BookClub?  The second Saturday of every month, Breakfast BookClub includes coffee, croissants and a good read for just $10.